Undying
by Juwpiter081
Summary: "Everything happened so fast after Cocoon fell. Gods know that perfect only lasts for so long..." Flight, Sequel to I'll Protect You
1. Measures

_**Undying.**_

_**Before anyone asks, this story is a direct sequel to **_**I'll Protect You._ So, if you are confused about the story, or any OCs, I suggest you read that story first._**

**Yes. This is the sequel. I had it planned for a long time, but I really didn't want to post it unless someone asked me to. So, Vaexar**_**, **_**thank you for your support. You must be one of my biggest fans right now.**

**So, this story takes place just before Serah's wedding, about 5 months after Cocoon's fall.**

**Edit: Small grammar mistakes  
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**Word Count: 3069**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIII-2. I simply write about the game without their permission. This is in no way canon.**_**  
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><p><em>Everything happened so fast after Cocoon fell. Serah's wedding, the relationship between Lightning and Fang, and then the rebuilding of Oerba. It was a lot to take in. Not only were we finally getting our chance at life, but it all seemed so perfect. Gods know that perfect only lasts for so long…<em>

**Undying**

**Chapter One: Measures**

The sun rising far to the east cast it's orange/red hue over everything in the half rebuilt village of Oerba. Gone were the Cie'th that had once controlled it's streets, as was the layer of crystal dust that covered anything and everything. The buildings, though not habitable or fully restored, were, for the most part, rid of their unending rust. Everything seemed to be coming along nicely.

Children were already outside, relishing in the morning sunlight without a care in the world. Many people made their short commutes to work, most of them carpenters or foremen. Many security guards had also been roaming the streets, in the event that fiends might try and attack the small village. Though many were uniformed and well trained, some of them looked as though they were hired for the job, wearing simple outfits for mobility and protection.

Many of the houses in the village were heavily decorated or colored, adding a vibrant atmosphere to the village. Most of the people who lived here had been the residents of Cocoon's Bodhum. Seeing similarities to their former home, many people took Oerba into their grasp, enjoying the familiarity they could experience.

However, along a row of vibrantly colored houses, one stood out in particular. It stood out not due to it's extravagant colors and decorations: Quite the opposite in fact. The house was fairly bland, the only decorations being a small flower garden and a sign that read "No Trespassing", both in Cocoon and Pulsian. The house was colored a rosy red, and the grass, though well kept and alive, was not as green as the neighbor's lawns, nor as lush. It had a small, dirt path where there should've been a stone walkway, but it seemed the person (or people) who lived here either forgot to have one put in place, or just didn't want one.

Whatever the reasons for this neutral appearance, one thing was known about the house: The one person known to live here was a person of power in the military. She was a deadly combination of speed and power, and extremely intelligent. She was one of the military's finest members, and had worked her way through the ranks faster than any woman (or man, in that case) before her.

She was none other than the infamous Lightning Farron. Anyone who had suffered, or even seen the suffering, of her right hook knew not to make the soldier angry. She was a very inward person, never allowing her true emotions to show, and it seemed she always had a scowl on her face. She was dangerous and, at times, unpredictable.

But this rage had subsided over recent months, much to the notice, and relief, of the people from Bodhum. She seemed more carefree, more at ease since Cocoon's fall, and even had let smiles grace her face, however short she let them stay. People were speculating as to what had caused the tight-ass woman to become so normal. Many thought it was regret for everything she did as a l'Cie. Others thought it was due to her sister getting married, though many people knew Lightning never liked Snow much. Finally, some people thought that maybe Lightning had found someone of her own to love.

In a sense, it was all three. Yes, every day Lightning felt remorse for what she had while a l'Cie. All the PSICOM and Guardian Corps soldiers she killed haunted her every night. She could push them down behind the masks she had built so well, but she could never get rid of them entirely. She could only grin and bear it as she went about her daily routines.

And yes, she was happy that Serah was getting married, despite her initial concerns about Snow and his group, NORA. But, fighting for survival with a person tends to make you see them in a different light, and see what they are truly fighting for. Over the course of their journey, Lightning saw exactly how loyal Snow was to Serah, and she was thankful for that loyalty. It meant that Serah was happy, and Serah's happiness made Lightning happy.

But, most of all, Lightning was changed because of the last reason. She was in love, yes, with perhaps the last person she ever could've fallen for in normal circumstances. This person was perfect, from her body, to her loyalty, to her tenderness, even down to her voice. It had made Lightning uneasy at first, trying to keep the barriers up around emotions. But this woman was far too persistent, both squeezing her way into the soldier's heart, and changed her forever.

The entire root of her change was one simple person; Oerba Yun Fang.

xXxXx

The rising sun crept in silently, casting it's orangey glow over the bed Lightning shared with Fang. Both woman were fast asleep, and didn't seem to phased by this assault on their closed eyes. They only seemed concerned about each other, caught in an embrace that seemed like a slide out of a cheesy romance film. Content and peaceful. Those words would be the best possible way to explain the looks on the two women's faces.

Fang was the one who held Lightning, her slender chest fitting perfectly to the curves of the pinkette's back, as if it was made for this very reason. Each light, steady breath the warrior took seemed to be in perfect sync with Lightning's. Each rise of Fang's chest was matched with the soldier's exhale, and the warrior would exhale as her lover would inhale. It was as if they were breathing each other, and not the elements that made their life even possible.

Fang's twisted white l'Cie brand was cleanly visible in the sunlight, contrasting sharply with the tanned musculature of the Pulseborn's body. Her clearly toned body was surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) curved, creating the vast beauty that Lightning was so enthralled by since their first meeting in Palumpolum. Each muscle was defined and rough, yet her skin was ironically smooth and soft. It only made her touches that much more enjoyable.

The soldier's l'Cie brand was also in the open, though you'd have to strain to actually see it. Lightning's skin was so naturally pale that the white marking was nearly invisible on her chest. Her musculature was much less defined compared to her partner's, giving her the (more) feminine appearance. Her slender limbs were currently tangled with Fang's (her arms were, at least at first sight), contrasting deeply with the tanned limbs. Her most unusual feature, her strawberry blonde hair, was currently a tangled mess, haphazardly patted down to at least contour with her scalp.

The peaceful looks on the pairs faces soon turned sour as a sharp ringing echoed throughout the household. On the table nearby, Lightning's cell phone was buzzing, droning a loud, currently annoying sound: It played a normally peaceful song that had become the main ringtone for Light's sister, Serah.

Blindly, a pale hand reached for the phone, flipping it open and ending the audible torture. "What, Serah?" a groggy Lightning asked, her eyes not opened, while still being held by Fang. The younger Farron giggled on the other end.

"_Sorry, did I interrupt anything?"_ She asked slyly, still giggling. Lightning's un-amused groan was enough to sober Serah up. _"Sorry. You sound like you just woke up."_ Serah said, her voice made slightly annoying by the fairly crappy reception in the room.

"I'm not awake." Lighting said simply, turning to face the ceiling of her bedroom, eyes still closed, Fang's arms still wrapped around her mid-rift. Again, Serah giggled.

"_Well, when you __**do**__ wake up, could you come over to my place? I've gotta get your measurements for your dress."_ Serah spoke casually, eliciting another groan from her older sister. _"Oh, come on, Claire. You have to wear a dress to my wedding."_ Serah's voice got a little bit more forceful now. _"You don't have any choice."_

For a few seconds, Lightning didn't reply. She still had her eyes closed, her breathing steady and light. _"Sis? You still awake there?"_ Serah's slightly amused voice came. Lightning once more groaned, signaling that she was, at least now, awake. Serah laughed again.

"_Well, since you probably didn't hear a word I just said…"_ Serah said accusingly. _"I'll send Vanille over around eleven thirty, k?"_ Lightning didn't even respond this time, and Serah gave up. _"Well, see you then, Claire. Love ya!"_ And with a silent click the other line went dead.

Lightning slowly set the phone back onto the nightstand, a tired sigh escaping her lips. She cocked an unopened eyebrow as the sigh was answered with a small chuckle. "Shut up." Lightning said simply, rotating her body to face Fang's, and finally opening her eyes. The Oerban was smiling widely.

"Make me." Fang challenged, the smile changing to a seductive one. Light matched the expression, before silencing the Pulsian with a fierce kiss.

xXxXx

Noon was fast approaching, and the atmosphere in the Villiers/Farron household was one of urgency. The wedding was only 2 days away, and everything was in overdrive. Gamenern and Snow were hauling around large statues and fountains that were going into the yard where the ceremony would be held. Vanille and Serah were talking idly about nothing, watching the men as they struggled to fit a large pedestal through the door.

"Tilt it to the side!" Snow remarked.

"No, keep it straight up!" Gamenern retorted.

Sazh, who was trying to help herd the two men, face palmed as they bickered about trying to fit the stand through the back door. "I'm definitely to old for this…" He said, shaking his head in his hand.

Meanwhile, Fang and Lightning were upstairs with a lady who was taking various measurements to find the right dress for them. Fang wasn't going to be actively in the wedding, though Serah still convinced the huntress into wearing a fancy dress to the event. Lightning, however, was one of Serah's bridesmaids, as well as the one who would walk Serah down the isle. Lightning was in agreement into walking her little sister to the alter, but not too thrilled with having to stand up there, especially in a dress!

As the woman finished jotting down the numbers, she disappeared behind a foldout wall, to a large wardrobe she had brought up. She was muttering quite loudly in frustration, making Light's face crinkle with annoyance herself. A hand on her shoulder from Fang seemed to relax the soldier, who let her own hand cover Fang's, a small smile creeping onto her face.

Before anything could start, the woman yipped "Eureka!", and stepped out with a large, frilly pink/light blue dress in the air. Lightning's face became apprehensive.

"I'm going to be wearing _that_!" She asked incredulously, taking a step off of the box she was currently standing on. The woman nodded with a smile that made Lightning nervous, but Fang seemed all too pleased. Lightning shot the woman a glare. "You enjoying this?" She asked with a slight hint or sarcasm. Fang just responded with a loud laugh, clutching her stomach with both hands as she leaned forward. Lightning scowled even more, but reluctantly took the dress to try on.

The other two girls walked through the door after Lightning went to change, curious as to Fang's sudden laughing fit. Vanille walked up to her sister, and looked into her half-opened eyes. "You okay?" Vanille asked, half-concerned and half-amused. Well, maybe 90% amused and 10% concerned. Scratch that. 100% amused.

The warrior allowed her laughs to subside before she spoke. "Fine. Just amused with Light, that's all." Fang hardly stopped her fit from starting again, only because Serah spoke up, talking to the woman who had been fitting the two women.

"You found a dress for Lightning, Rosa?" She asked the woman, who nodded as she searched for another dress, obviously for Fang. "Si, senorita Serah." Rosa spoke, pulling back with a lavender dress, much simpler than Lightning's, and handing it to Fang. "Take this one." Rosa spoke to Fang, who nodded and disappeared behind another door.

Despite being handed her dress almost two minutes after Lightning, Fang was still the first one out. The dress looked very much like the sari that Fang was known for, though she hadn't worn it in a while. The dress came off the shoulders, following Fang's cleavage snugly, coming to a point just above her heart. The back not a zipper, but instead it held in place by a sash, much to Fang's delight. The sash was a light blue, matching the theme of the wedding; Nature.

Vanille thought the dress looked perfect on Fang, smiling and nodding as Fang examined herself in the mirror. "Hmm. It'll do." Fang said, her voice falsely uninterested. Vanille gave her a playful slap to the forearm, though Fang simply shrugged it off. "Well, where are ya, sunshine?" Fang asked Lightning through the door, amused at the frustrated sound that came from the other side.

"I can't get this damn thing on right!" Lightning half-shrieked after a few moments of grunting and growling. Fang smiled widely, before she knocked on the door twice.

"Coming in." She said, turning the knob and pushing her way inside.

Light spoke the truth. She was hidden in a mess of frills and silk, her undergarments the only thing she had on at the moment. Though Fang looked the soldier up and down, the scowl on that face made Fang think twice about trying, or saying, anything. "Right." Fang spoke, picking up the dress and doing a circular motion with her finger. "Turn around."

Lightning complied, facing away from Fang as the warrior placed the dress over Light's head. With some tugging and a little squirming, the pink locks on Light's head popped out of the other side. The dress had no shoulders, and had a zip-up back. 'I can see her struggling with that, but the damn thing has no shoulders!.' Fang thought silently, now working on fixing the dress so it was oriented properly. Once lined up, Fang took the zipper in her hand and pulled upwards, tightening the material over Lightning's body.

The dress fit snuggly, but not suffocating her, either. It showed of Light's curvature, but didn't look trashy or slutty. It was a very nice change of appearance for her, if Fang could say so herself. It looked very attractive.

As Lighting turned around, Fang could finally take in the entire outfit. It was cut just above Lightning's bust, allowing Fang to barely make out Light's whitened l'Cie mark. The dress was, despite it's frills and folds, very plain. It was a powder blue on the upper part, but the lower half of the dress was a rose pink, matching Light's hair perfectly, as well as the blush currently covering the soldier's face.

"You look beautiful, Light." Fang said breathlessly, cupping the soldier's cheek in her right hand. This didn't seemed to help Lightning's blush, and it only spread further down to her chest. Fang smiled sincerely, motioning to the door. "Well, the others wanna see it, too." Fang was able to coax Lightning out of the dressing room and into the sights of her sister and Vanille. As she stepped out, the redhead let out an audible gasp of surprise.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Light!" Vanille chirped, conveying exactly what Serah was trying to articulate. The younger Farron was simply smiling, her eyes locked with Lightning's. The soldier let a faint smile grace her lips, before turning to face the mirror.

Even she had to admit it looked good. The way it hugged her body was quite alluring, indeed. She could tell that it would turn a lot of heads at the ceremony, though it had already done so with Fang, Serah and Vanille. She actually felt more confident in being up on that stage, now.

xXxXx

The tender moment was broken when two sets of footsteps, one extremely heavy and the other more graceful, were sounding up the stairs. The voices of the two men were all that needed to be heard. Gamenern and Snow were currently walking this way, arguing about the pedestal they had just recently gotten set up properly.

"If you would've listened to me, we could've been done ten minutes ago!" Gamenern spoke, just as they reached the top of the stairs, annoyance obvious in his voice. Snow released a frustrated breath.

"It wasn't my idea try and take the pedestal trough the house, now, was it!" Snow made a good point, because Gamenern sounded like he was going to retaliated, but could only sigh in defeat. Snow audibly grinned. "I win." He said in a smug voice.

Just as he said that, the duo pushed their way into the room, gazing at Lightning in the dress. Snow's mouth hung limply from his jaw, as Gamenern simply smiled. "Looks nice." He said, giving a wink in Fang's direction. Lightning's face was still red, though anger seemed to be the main cause now.

"Snow, what do you want?" The soldier asked in an extremely annoyed tone. The man's jaw immediately remade friends with his skull, sobering up at Light's tone. "Uh, I was just….I needed to talk to Serah." He motioned for Serah to come closer, though his eyes were still focused on Light's, no longer looking at her dress.

"What, babe?" Serah asked, stopping a few inches short of Snow. The man gave a weak smile before speaking.

"The baker kinda thought today was the day of the wedding, and he already baked the cake and had it delivered." He spoke with slight annoyance as Serah got noticeably frustrated. She huffed heavily, turning back to the group girls in the room.

"Sorry, Light. I gotta go take care of this." She said, frustration tinting her words as she led Snow and Gamenern out of the room.

Even though Serah was outside and on the floor below them, they could all still hear her shouting at the caterer who had royally screwed up his orders.

Yeah, this was going to be a very exciting wedding.

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><p><strong>Now this is just me, but I found this chapter hilarious! I tried to make room for all the characters, but I couldn't find a way to naturally fit Hope into the chapter. (I don't hate him <em>that<em> much) Anyway, the next few chapters are going to cover the more day to day lives of the l'Cie, and build up to the main villain of the story. So, you'll have to wait and see.**

**Also, in case you haven't read my profile (not many people do...), I broke the tip of my left middle finger. Nothing like a serious break, just splintering the tip of the bone. It still hurts like hell, so my writing will be slower. This update will hopefully make up for that fact.**

**And, I want to ask you guys something, if I may. I'm thinking about posting a prequel to _I'll Protect You_, that goes more into Fang/Vanille/Gamenern and their past in Oerba. It'll be a darker fic, much more angst and drama. Will be Fanille for the most part, with a possible love interest for Gamenern. If no one wants the prequel, I can incorporate the ideas into this fic, but I myself would rather give it it's own story to go in depth. Up to you guys, though.**

**K, R&R and wish me luck!  
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	2. Because You Are Here

_**Undying**_

**Back. Wow. 4 reviews for my first chapter? Whoever said sequels never are as popular as the original wasn't right. You guys are awesome! Thank all of you, especially the ones who reviewed both of my stories.**

**Okay, this chapter is going to take place, for the most part, during the wedding. More FLight fluff. Very lighthearted feel in this chapter, good change of pace from all the action and drama of the last one, I think.**

**Word Count: 2874**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, anything that this chapter contains. Everything in this chapter is the property of their respective owners. The characters are SE's, though Fang owns Lightning :D**

**Chapter 2: Because You Are Here  
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><p>Nighttime was fast approaching Oerba as the preparations for the grand display was beginning. Tents were being set up, tables were being decorated, and positions were being discussed. Tomorrow, Serah and Snow were to be officially married, and the entirety of Oerba was to be in attendance.<p>

The wedding though to have a large attendance, would be small. Serah was to have 2 bridesmaids: Lightning and Vanille. Gadot and Sazh were to be on Snow's side. Everyone else was to be sitting with no real order. You sat wherever there was an open seat, be it on Serah's side or Snow's side.

Gamenern was making sure that Snow was to enjoy his last night as a bachelor, but was going to ensure that he didn't do anything stupid. Sazh, Hope, Gadot, Yuj and Maqui were with him, at the "Beach House II", Lebreau's new bar built only a few weeks after the Fall. The party was mainly just to reminisce about the past, specifically about all of Snow's old girlfriends.

"Remember when you tried to hit on Lightning?" Gadot asked, slurring so much now that it was a miracle that he could even speak, let alone make coherent sentences. Snow laughed heartily, while Sazh and Hope gaped at him.

"Wha wha wha wait? You hit on soldier girl!" Sazh asked, a slight slur on his breath. He was also gesturing with much more animation. Hope, who was still sober, mainly because he wasn't allowed to drink, simply nodded in agreement.

Snow wasn't given the chance to answer, because Lebreau answered. "Yeah. He went up to her and just bluntly asked to go out with her, just after we finished fighting some monsters in the Waterscape." She was laughing, and, since she was working, was not drunk off her rocker. Snow again let out a hearty laugh.

"Yep, and she beat his ass back to Bodhum black and blue!" Gadot shouted, drawing some attention to the group, though they simply shrugged it off as they went back to their drinks.

Hope simply laughed, thinking about how the soldier would probably be beating up Snow for simply flirting with her. While he was thinking, his mind wandered to his last day on Cocoon, about walking through that portal and seeing Lightning and Fang kissing. It didn't put him off, no, but it did make him wonder, 'What does Light see in Fang?'

As if Hope's thought's were being broadcast throughout the bar, Gamenern spoke up. "Yeah. Who'd have thought that Light wouldn't see anything in you, yet fall for Fang of all people?" He asked, still sober and very amused. He himself wondered what the two had seen in each other.

"Right. I never pegged Light as gay, to tell you the truth." Lebreau spoke just as amused as Gamenern. She thought for a minute, then said. "Actually, now that I look back, I take that back." She spoke with a slight hint of sarcasm, though no one was able to tell if it was feigned or sincere. It was hard to tell what the barmaid was thinking.

The rest of the night was undecipherable, mainly a lot of drunken laughing and shouting, though Gamenern had talked for most of the night with the still sober Lebreau. She was amused that Gamenern was still able to keep his cool after everything Snow, Gadot and Yuj had been doing while drunk. Gamenern shrugged it off, before gathering up Hope, Sazh and Snow, and driving everyone home. After he got to his apartment, that he owned from 500 years ago, he let out an audible sigh. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

xXxXx

The morning of the wedding was extremely frantic. Snow had to recover from his hangover, though l'Cie magic was able to help with immensely. Sazh and Gadot were trying to help the man recover, making sure he was ready to take that oath to Serah. There were, understandably, a lot of nerves in the small church that was going to be the location of the wedding.

Serah was a much more nervous wreck. She was pacing the small room that she currently shared with Fang, Vanille, and Lightning, all of whom were in their dresses. Vanille wore a dress that was the same as Lightning's, but she had dressed it up with a few more frills and a pair of arm sleeves. She was trying to calm down to no avail.

"Serah, you'll be fine. Snow's a great guy, you'll be happy with him." Vanille had pitched, though it had fallen on deaf ears. It was proving to be harder to calm Serah down than it was to kill Orphan.

"Ladies?" A coordinator had peaked her head in as Serah was pacing, "You'll be on in a few minutes. Fang, could you please find your seat outside?" Fang nodded slightly as the woman stepped away. A brief kiss with Light was all Fang stopped to do before disappearing behind the same door the coordinator had been at.

"Serah…" Lightning spoke, her first words directly to her sister. The soldier shared a concerned look with Vanille, her eyes pleading with the younger girl to leave them be. The Oerban complied, stepping just outside of the room.

"Look, I know you're worried about Snow. I'm gonna tell you I'm still not to thrilled that your marrying the oaf." This was able to get a smile from Serah. "But, I traveled with him quite a bit from The Hanging Edge, all the way through to now." The soldier let a small, almost unnoticeable smirk grace her face.

"I can tell you that Snow may be an idiot, but he is a good guy." It almost seemed as if Lightning was keeping herself from retching at the words she was speaking. She was actually complimenting Snow? It must've meant something bad would happen soon. Serah laughed lightly, her warm smile speaking more than she could ever voice.

Lightning pulled her into a loose hug, still speaking. "You'll be fine, sis. Just be yourself." Serah returned the embrace, a small sigh escaping her lips.

"Thank you, Claire." She spoke, just as "Here Comes the Bride" started to play on the organ.

That was soon followed by the coordinator entering the room again. "Time to go, Serah." The woman said, motioning for the two to take their spots by the door.

xXxXx

The wedding was quite lovely, and, despite Serah's slight nervousness on walking out, when she heard what Snow had vowed to her, she was completely reassured that she had found the perfect person to spend her life with. It was with resolve she recited her own vows, before the two were officially married.

The reception would be held on the beach, just outside of the Beach House. It was currently just people eating meals, with Snow and Serah sitting, side by side, at the largest table in the room. Everyone else was sitting at one of two tables near the newlyweds, all of them currently chatting about future plans and any possible children they would be having. Lightning openly gagged at the thought of having little Snows running around. Fang had to literally pat Light's back a couple of times to get the soldier back to normal.

The group had been done eating for quite a while when Gadot, also acting as the DJ, grabbed the microphone standing at the end of the stage.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen." He spoke, getting the room's attention. "Before I go any further, I would like to speak to Snow and Serah." Of course, Gadot wasn't going to let Snow off without a best man's speech. There wasn't any fun in that.

"Snow, my man, you've been my friend since grade school." Gadot spoke, facing in the direction of the couple. "You always played the part of a ladies man, though everyone knew I was the really player of the two of us." Scattered laughter was heard, even from Snow. "I even remember how you met Serah." Snow tried his best to shrink. Serah knew about how Snow had flirted with Lightning before meeting her, so she wasn't to concerned. Still, Snow wanted to remember that particular moment in time.

"Big bad hero here wanted to train on some of the Flandragora's in the Waterscapes on Cocoon." Gadot motioned towards the pillar, though he didn't linger on his words. "So, when we saw a Scalebeast, Snow had to try and kill it." Again, some slight laughter.

"Apparently, someone had the sense to call the Guardian Corps in on us. And, guess who showed up?" He looked around, waiting for someone to guess, though no one did. Gadot then looked to and pointed at Lightning. "None other than the resident hard-ass, Lightning Farron." More laughter.

"Yeah, and you know Snow. Couldn't stand having to have help called in, especially a woman. " Gadot gave Lightning a look he hoped was understood as 'For lack of a better term'. Lightning didn't seem to phased by this.

"So, in order to compensate for this embarrassment, he decided to risk his life and ask her out to dinner." A small pause for a surge of laughter and applause. Lightning looked at Fang, though she was laughing as well. That was good. Even Lightning had a smirk on her face.

"The poor man got his ass kicked to Bodhum and back." Gadot himself was laughing now, then looked at Serah. "Serah was the one who treated his wounds. That time, his little date was accepted." He shook his head slightly. "And here we are. Guess you are a ladies man, huh boss?" Some more laughter, though mainly from the members of NORA.

"Serah, you got a good guy there. Just don't let him convince you of letting him drag you along on some hunting mission or whatever." Gadot sighed. "He's such a free spirit sometimes."

A few moments of silence were enjoyed before Gadot spoke once again. "Well, enough of me. Guys, it's time for the traditional first dance." A round of applause was heard again, as Gadot worked the device nearby to play a slow, peaceful song. As he did, Snow and Serah made their way onto the dance floor, standing in the middle as the music came on.

Slowly, the couple began to sway to the beat, spinning as they did. Others joined them as well. Vanille practically dragged Hope out of his chair and over to the floor, the young man blushing all the way. Others were also joining the couple.

xXxXx

_"It's okay if you just wanna cry,"_

_That's what you told me when_

_You wiped the tears away from my eyes_

_I'm so lucky that you're always there,_

_Banishing all my cares;_

_I can't contain my happiness_

Fang had stood up from her seat, looking over to Lightning. She extended her hand outward, motioning for Lightning to take it. The soldier gave a small smirk, saying, "I don't dance, Fang."

_Though I said some things that I didn't mean,_

_And there's still times that I act so selfishly,_

_Through and through, you're always right there beside me,_

_And now it's grown so clear;_

_I want you to keep me close and near by your side..._

_Always!_

The warrior gave a small pout. "C'mon, Light." She said, forcibly grabbing the pinkette and dragging her over to a clear section of the dance floor.

_It would be a dream come true,_

_If you'd only realize_

_That it's only you who makes me feel this way..._

_Oh, how amazing would it be to believe in a new day,_

_Where we both could live inside of each other's hearts?_

Lightning audibly gasped as she was dragged by the warrior to the dance floor. She let a small blush creep onto her face as Fang put her arms on Light's waist. "Fang, no, seriously…" Lightning tried to plead, but the warrior would have none of it.

_So then,_

_Until the end,_

_Won't you please keep watch over me..._

_My dear friends?_

"If you can sway, Lightning, you can dance." Fang said, leading the way as Lightning reluctantly followed. "Besides, the way you fight with that gun blade of your's, you can dance just fine, love." Fang's smile was enough to loosen the solider up.

_"You'll be just fine when you're on your own,"_

_That's what you told me when_

_We felt it was time for us to move on,_

_And those words keep me from loneliness,_

_So my sky's never gray;_

_I'm better knowing that I can stay strong_

_I've opened a door to things strange and new,_

_It's scary facing the unknown_

_When we feel we have to do it all on our own,_

_We all fear an undiscovered tomorrow;_

_Until I think of how,_

_All the words you gave me are what give me strength for now_

Slowly, it seemed as though Lightning was enjoying dancing with Fang. Around her, Hope had stopped blushing as he danced with Vanille. Gamenern was swaying near the edge of the dance floor with Lebreau, desperately trying to keep the barmaid from moving down to his rear. The whole scene was quite comical, eliciting a small smirk from Fang at the very least.

_So I will not lose my faith,_

_Just as long as I can say_

_All the words my heart has always tucked away;_

_The future will open its arms to show me a new day_

_And embrace me tight with a ray of shining hope_

_Cause I know,_

_With all my soul,_

_I will always carry with me in my heart..._

_My dear friends_

Lightning lovingly rested her head on Fang's shoulder as she looked over at Serah and Snow. Serah seemed obviously happy, so, naturally, Lightning was happy. But, at the same time, she felt sorrow. She wasn't going to have Serah around anymore, not in the same way. It wasn't all horrible; She had Fang with her, but it still pained her that her only sister was leaving.

_I promise that I'll never stop moving forward through thick or thin,_

_I'll always remember what you have taught me; our love is something to believe in_

_When I look above, I can see your smile in the sky,_

_Its light will comfort me, till we can finally meet one day again_

_So I will not lose my faith,_

_Just as long as I can say_

_All the words my heart has always tucked away;_

_The future will open its arms to show me a new day_

_And embrace me tight with a ray of shining hope_

Fang had noticed Light's sudden change of demeanor. She never would say it aloud, but seeing Lightning in pain made Fang sad. She proved that when Lightning almost died on their travels through Gran Pulse.

"What's wrong, love?" Fang asked, still swaying to the beat of the song.

Lightning sighed lightly, closing her eyes. "She's really leaving…" She trailed on, spoke all on her exhale. Fang grabbed Light's chin, making her face the warrior.

"You don't worry about that. The lug will treat her good, just you see." Fang gave a slight smirk. "Besides, you always have me." A light laugh left both women's lips. "No one knows what they're missing out on, now do they?"

Lightning nodded slightly, then leaned upwards to give a light kiss to Fang.

_I would love if you'd only realize_

_That it's only you who makes me feel this way..._

_Oh, how amazing would it be to believe in a new day,_

_Where we both could live inside of each other's hearts?_

_So then,_

_Until the end,_

_Won't you please keep watch over me..._

_My dear friends?_

The song's end was met to applause and kisses around the room. When Lightning was able to look around the room, the first thing she saw was Hope's extremely red face, as Vanille skipped back to her seat to grab a drink of her tea. "Guess Vanille finally made her move?" Fang asked humorously, which was met my a slight smile by Lightning.

The two looked around the room, trying to find everyone else, when Fang asked Lightning and Vanille both, "Where's Gamenern?"

Vanille giggled when she couldn't find Lebreau anywhere, either.

xXxXx

_In a plane where time both stands still and flashes by, where space has no authority and imagination rules everything, an invisible flash of light illuminated the area. The air, if it could be called that, danced with the heat of illumination, blew with the breeze of a tornado, and shocked with the electricity of a nearby lightning strike._

_Slowly, at the source of everything nearby, a man took shape. Slowly, he was given color and dress. He had black hair, slicked back and held in place by a grey headband. On his back, he wielded a great sword, and when he pulled it out to examine it, a violet flame danced over the blade. He smirked openly, then turned to a large, ominous structure in the distance. It was Cocoon, held in place by the pillar Ragnarok made._

_In front of him, there was a pedestal. He knelt in front of it, bowing his head to the stone block._

"_What would you have me do, Master Lindzei?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger again? Oh well, this one was warranted. Had to introduce that new guy in some way, as he will play a major part in the story, throughout the end, most likely.<strong>

**Also, for those who will ask, the song that is playing during the first dance is an English translation of the Japanese theme, "Kimi ga Iru Kara", translated as "Because You Are Here" (see what I did there?) The song was never officially translated from what I understand. This is a fan-made version. I'll post on my profile the link to the song. Warning: The song sounds official, but it's a fan made recording. It sounds so professional.**

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be the start of the real adventure and story. It should be worth the wait, guys, so please be patient.**

**PS, I have finally gotten used to typing with 7 fingers at last! Maybe this broken finger may not be so bad after all...**

**R&R  
><strong>


	3. Familiar Scent

_**Undying**_

**Okay, here it is. Chapter 3 of _Undying._ This starts the first major arc in the story, which will be centered around this new person. Other than that, this one is sort of shorter than the other two chapters, but it gets the point across hopefully.**

**Other than that, I guess I don't have much to say about this chapter. I'll go ahead and let you guys read on.**

**Word Count: 2364**

**Disclaimer: I don't own squat...SE does...**

**Chapter 3: Familiar Scent  
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><p>Lightning woke up with a massive headache. The sunlight trickling through her lone bedroom window wasn't helping it any. With a groan, she shifted in her bed, hoping to gaze at the bronzed warrior she normally slept with. She became slightly disappointed as she saw Fang was not in bed. Using all of her might, she sat up in bed, her blanket still covering her nude form.<p>

Keeping her vision straight was proving difficult. She felt like the room was constantly swirling, like she was on some carnival ride Serah made her go on when they were teenagers. With a slight smile, she located her dress, draped unceremoniously on the desk chair nearby. 'Just like old times…' Lightning humorously thought as she walked over to her dresser to grab her new clothes.

When she stepped into the living room, one could say that Lightning was utterly shocked.

There was a smell of eggs and bacon in the air, as well as the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The sound of grease popping joined the sound of the TV, playing some local news station. It was currently talking about last night's wedding, and about how almost all of Oerba had been in attendance. Despite Oerba being the closest town still standing near the pillar, many of Cocoon's former residents had opted to not move to the town. Instead, they began to build a new town at the base, naming it "New Eden". The idea was good: It meant that Cocoon's people were fending for themselves. But, still, the l'Cie saw it as a betrayal to Pulse. Old habits die hard, obviously.

Lightning let her nose lead her to the kitchen, where she saw Fang working over the stove, her back turned to Lightning. Silently, the soldier grabbed a cup and poured herself a cup of coffee, before sitting at the bar separating the kitchen from the dining room. The sound of the pouring black liquid was enough to alert Fang to Lightning's presence. The warrior didn't turn from her chore, but did acknowledge Light's company.

"Breakfast's almost done." Lightning winced at the words. With her headache, even Fang's breathtaking voice grated her nerves like Snow's voice. She simply replied with a hum, sipping her coffee.

"Ha, guess your hangover's worse than I thought." Fang chuckled, this time turning to Lightning, and keeping her voice as soft as possible. A small grin crept it's was onto Fang's face. "Told you not to have that second glass of wine." Lightning mumbled something that Fang didn't hear, but figured it was something unpleasant. Prying the slice of French toast she was currently cooking, Fang leaned over and placed a light kiss on the pinkette's lips.

"Enjoy." Fang said, putting a plate of eggs, bacon, French toast and grits in front of Lightning. Fang took up a spot next to her, the same arrangement on her own plate. Lightning took a single bite of the food before letting a small smirk grace her face.

"I thought you said you couldn't cook?" She spoke with a playful tone as she took another bite of the grits. Fang chuckled lightly, before shaking her head.

"I never said that. I said I don't cook." She took a bite of the French toast, speaking only after she swallowed the bread. "There's a difference, sunshine."

The only thing Lightning could do was smile at the use of her nickname.

xXxXx

Serah had Vanille come over about an hour after Lightning woke up to tell her that the newlyweds were out on their honeymoon. The two were going to spend the weekend at the Sulyya Springs, relaxing. Fang's eyebrow cocked upwards when Vanille said 'relaxing', though she kept her comments to herself. Lightning simply huffed and slouched back into her couch, grabbing the remote and hoping to find something on the television. When nothing good was on at the moment, she tossed the device at Vanille, who eagerly changed the channel to cartoons.

"You're a big 10 year old, you know that?" Lightning asked the girl, half amused, half annoyed. Vanille simply nodded, before bursting into a fit of giggles at the TV. The soldier sighed, then stood up from the couch to go to her office.

Ever since the Fall, the people who populated Oerba had looked up to Lightning for any help or decisions inside the village. As such, the people had given her the title of mayor, despite there not actually being one. Lightning hated the role, but it allowed her to work from her house. She didn't have to leave, so she never had to worry about being late. For that reason, plus some coaxing from Fang, she agreed to keep the title, for now at least.

As she disappeared behind the door to her office, Vanille was able to break her attention from the TV (it was on a commercial at the moment) to talk to Fang. "Have you heard from Gamenern yet?" Her voice was slightly worried, though Fang simply laughed.

"Oh, he's probably out with Lebreau." The warrior didn't seem the least bit worried about her brother. "He can take care of himself just fine, Vanille. Don't worry about it." The redhead nodded slightly, before slowly looking back at the TV. Despite her worries, the cartoons still made her laugh.

Meanwhile, Lightning was looking through the census of Oerba, done just a few days ago. She hadn't been looking for anything in particular, but was more concerned about the sudden population boom. Estimates said that, in just the last month, the population had doubled, and showed no signs of stopping. It put Lightning off, honestly. She had respected this place, more than any of the former l'Cie from Cocoon. She had felt a bond with this place. Maybe it had to do with her relationship with Fang, but she didn't want to see Oerba become developed like the cities on Cocoon.

So, she was looking at trying to stop the expansion, hopefully directing hopefuls to the city being built about 50 miles north, "New Palumpolum". It would be a very large city, similar to Palumpolum on Cocoon, but with more of a historic look, similar to Oerba. She was planning on sending some of the construction crews to the city, hoping to speed the process up as much as possible.

While looking through the lists, she saw a name on the page that caught her attention. "Oerba Fenh Haala, female." She hadn't heard of anyone of that name, and she knew that Pulsian names were written out like that. She looked through the past census, and, after about 5 minutes of searching, she didn't find that name. She read the information placed under her name.

"Occupation- Orphan Matron, Oerba Central Orphanage.

Spouse- None.

Children- 1 (Oerba Fehn Penelo, daughter)

Place of residence- 1139 Lakeview Terrace"

Lightning sighed, then leaned back in her chair. "Fang, can I speak to you?" She yelled out, not even caring that her hangover was still making her head throb with every pulse. After a few seconds, the huntress stepped into the room, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, love?" She asked, heavily amused with Lightning calling her into her office. The soldier didn't let Fang's voice get to her, though she did scrunch her brow to show her displeasure. "Okay, guess now's a bad time, huh?" Fang asked nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

"Take a look at this." Lightning said coolly, pointing at the page before her. The huntress stepped over, leaning in to examine the page. "Wait. A Fehn? I thought everyone died out after the war." Fang seemed genuinely confused. The solider looked at Fang with slight wonder. Fang sighed. "Can't say I know her, but that name rings a bell." Fang pondered on her thoughts for a second before shaking her head. "Nothing."

The soldier picked up her phone, then looked over at the phonebook. It wasn't all that big, but she had to keep it nearby at all times. She looked up the orphanage's phone number, then dialed the number, before hitting the speaker phone button.

The line rung about 5 times before it was picked up. _"Oerba Central Orphanage. Katzroy speaking."_

Lightning slightly gaped at the words. "Sazh?" She asked. The man on the other end of the line laughed.

"_Yep, it's me. How's it going Light?"_ He asked, he didn't seem too worried about having the soldier call him. It was all good to him.

Lightning shook her head, refocusing on her current goal. "Can't chitchat right now. Do you know a girl named Haala?" Lightning asked in a very professional tone. Sazh sobered up quickly.

"_Yeah, she works here. Just moved into town a week ago. Why?"_ The man seemed honestly confused.

"Can I speak with her?" Lightning asked, again her tone professional. Sazh sighed.

"_She didn't show up for work today. Said she had some family matters to deal with."_ Sazh replied, some concern in his voice. _"Why, did something happen?"_

"No, nothing happened. Did she ever tell you her full name?" Lightning looked at the page once more, before Sazh answered.

"_She told me her name was Haala Fenhly. What's going on?"_ The man spoke with urgency, eliciting a sigh from Lightning.

"Sazh, the census has her registered as Oerba Fahn Haala." Lightning could hear the man gasp, before he let out a long sigh.

"_I see. You wanna know why she chose that name?"_ Sazh spoke with some confusion, though Lightning shook her head.

"Yeah, more or less." She sighed. "Thanks Sazh, I'll talk to you later." She heard the man say goodbye before she clicked the device off. Fang sighed as well.

"So, the old man works with Haala?" Fang asked, already looking through the residential phone book, finding the name. "Sazh said Fehnly, right?"

Lightning nodded, then let Fang continue. "Okay, the number is 4-113-97-002" Lightning punched in the numbers, then let the device ring.

The line rung for nearly a minute, before the voicemail on the other side kicked in. _"Hi, you've reached Haala. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, I'm probably at work or shopping. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_ About a second later, the beep toned.

"Oerba Fehn Haala," Lightning spoke, keeping her voice professional. "This is Lightning Farron. I would like to ask you a few questions if I may. You can call me back at this number at any time." Lightning then hung up the phone, ending the call.

"Hmm, hard person to get a hold of, yeah?" Fang asked humorously. Lightning leaned back in her chair, sighing as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Fang simply rubbed Light's back, releasing a breath from Lightning. "Don't worry. You've got all day, y'know?" Fang was able to calm the soldier down somewhat, but Lightning was still bothered by this woman.

She swiftly picked the phone up when it rang, answering with a quick. "Yes?"

"_Miss Farron?"_ A man, one of her secretaries, asked. Lightning sighed lightly. _"Do you know a man by the name of Oerba Yun Gamenern?"_

Lightning sat up as he spoke. "Yes, Miller. Why?" She spoke with some concern. Fang, though she couldn't hear the conversation, sat up as well.

"_Ma'am, you might want to get to the hospital. I can explain there." _Miller spoke, and ended the call.

When she was off the line, Lightning turned to Fang. "It's Gamenern…"

xXxXx

The small group gathered outside of Gamenern's hospital room included Light, Fang, Hope, Vanille, and Sazh. They were all looking at the doctor, who was looking at a chart with some concern.

"Well, Gamenern suffered a stab wound to his abdomen about five hours ago. We just recently learned of his name from his companion." The doctor motioned to the room, to who the group had understood as Lebreau. "When he came in, there was a purple flame dancing from his wound. It wasn't burning his skin, and it seemed that, when we hooked him up to our Curaga machine, it went away." Then he looked grimly at the l'Cie.

"It seems that, even with the sample of magic Hope and Vanille gave us, we weren't able to mend the wound. It seems as if the wound is cursed." He waited for the l'Cie to respond.

"Will he be alright?" Sazh asked. His voice seemed to portray the worry in the other's faces. The doctor shook his head.

"We aren't sure right now. The blade didn't hit any of his major organs, but the wound is causing him a great deal of pain. We have him in a medically induced coma to prevent any shock that may occur if he was conscious." The doctor then turned around, heading to the room to tend to his patient.

Fang was the first one to speak. "The only thing that could cause that kind of injury is dark magic." She seemed worried, almost scared. Vanille looked up, fear in her eyes as well.

"Dark magic?" Hope asked. Vanille was the one to speak this time.

"It's a form of magic so evil, most fal'Cie don't even use it." She then sighed heavily. "My Death spell is a form of dark magic." This put the gravity of the situation into perspective.

Hope tried to form a sentence, but failed at it. Lightning was the one who had to ask. "Is there a way to reverse the effects of the spell?" Fang looked at nothing in particular, then nodded.

"There is, but it requires a lot of reagents from around Gran Pulse." She looked at Vanille. "And I don't know if Vanille's skilled enough to make the salve." The redhead in question pouted.

"I am!" She spoke, slightly offended. If the situation wasn't so dire, it might've been funny. "I did it for the soldiers who were injured during the war. It just takes a while to make." Fang shook her head, though Sazh was able to bring the group back to the ground.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going." And with that, the l'Cie headed out to complete their next small quest.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, hell. Too short in my opinion, but I ain't gonna worry. The next chapter will feature the group as they work towards finding the materials to make the salve to help Gamenern. That will be up some time in the future, not too sure when. Work and all, you know?<strong>

**Anyway, I need to say something real quick. This story will be tied closely with _Transgression_, my other story. Many of the characters introduced in this story will have played some part in that one, so if anything in this story confuses you guys, read the other story to make sense of it. At this time, though, there isn't anything that is related to _Transgression_ yet.**

**Anyway, R&R as always. You guys are so kind, I thank you! Till next time!  
><strong>


	4. Collection

**_Undying_**

**Here you are. Chapter 4 of _Undying._ I'm gonna try to focus more time to this story in the coming days, as I hope to have the next chapter up by Saturday, though my band might make that a little difficult. Ah well, at least this one's up, hopefully this will tide you guys over till then. This chapter features some action, so enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3247**

**Disclaimer: FFXIII is SE's, Lightning is Fang's, nothing is mine. That's all.**

**Chapter 4: Collection  
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><p>Vanille had pulled out a simple tome that she had tucked away in her small bedroom, dusting the cover of it off to expose the print. It was in Pulsian, so, aside from Fang, no one knew what it had said. Lightning had learned the script from Fang, seeing as how they have the same letters, but the Pulsian language was complete gibberish to the soldier. Vanille didn't let her try to decipher the words, as she filed through the musty pages to a recipe near the back.<p>

From the illustrations, the process didn't look very promising, nor did the materials needed. One picture depicted a Behemoth monster, while one showed a Cactuar, beside a Tonberry. Lightning leaned in some to get a better look at the diagrams, though Vanille pushed her away.

"Okay, this recipe is very difficult to make, but gathering the reagents will be even harder." Vanille sounded as if she had done this before. She looked at the small group before her: Light and Fang, intrigue on their faces. Sazh, focused. Hope, slightly worried, but also slightly impressed. The girl looked back at the page, then began to recite the reagents.

"First, we need water from Bismark's pond in Sulyya." Lightning openly groaned at this. That meant they were going to find Serah and Snow, doing Gods know what. Fang was able to soothe the Cocoon native with a simple rub on her back, gesturing for Vanille to continue. "We need about a gallon of that."

The girl then scrunched her eyebrows. "This is the hard stuff. Next, we need about a pint of Flan pudding, from each of the 3 major flan groupings. Flan, Hybrid Flora, and Rust Pudding." The other l'Cie didn't look all that thrilled at this revelation, though Vanille was far from done. "That is joined by a quart of Behemoth blood, specifically Humbabaa." This time, the group groaned their displeasure. Vanille didn't seem to fazed by this, and simply continued recited the list.

"Finally, we need 500 cactuar needles exactly." Sazh sighed heavily at this. "The final ingredient is the flame from a Tonberry's lantern." Again, a groan, though this one was much more exasperated. Vanille sighed as well. "Well, no one said it'd be easy." She seemed slightly annoyed, though a simple chuckle from Fang brought sense back to the young redhead.

The group had then decided to pack up any rations they may need, seeing as this might be a long journey. Fang and Lightning grabbed several different meals to bring, while Vanille and Hope focused on the medicinal treatments they may need, just in case something magic resistant fell upon the l'Cie. Sazh was looking into getting a method of transport, and was rewarded with an airship that could get them around Gran Pulse 100 times faster than walking could.

They were all to gather at the village square, right in front of the house the group spent their first night in Oerba at. It was now a part of the nearby orphanage, the same one Sazh worked for. The group had decided that they should set out as quickly as possible, not wasting any time.

Lightning, Fang, and Vanille were waiting for Hope at the meeting point when they saw Lebreau, walking slowly in the distance. She seemed hurt, not physically, but emotionally. Silently, Fang wondered what had gone on with Gamenern over the last few months. She never though the man would fall for a woman like Lebreau, but she was surprised to see that she was wrong. Her thoughts were interrupted when Vanille called for the girl, sending a sharp piercing ring through the huntress's ear.

"Lebreau!" Vanille yelled as she stood up. The barmaid simply smiled weakly at the girl, approaching the l'Cie slowly. When she was within talking distance, Vanille spoke to her. "How's Gamenern?"

The barmaid shook her head, seating herself on the bench next to Vanille. "He hasn't changed, for better or worse…" The woman's voice seemed sad, but she had a good control over her emotions at the moment. Fang leaned forward, still rubbing her ear, trying to clear that persistent ringing.

"When did you two start dating?" It was a question the entire group of l'Cie, especially Snow, had wanted to know. Snow wanted to know because Lebreau worked for him, and Gamenern was a good friend, so he wanted to be sure that nothing would happen that would affect NORA's operations, which were currently protecting Oerba. The woman sighed heavily, before looking up to the sky, focusing on the crystal of Cocoon.

"It started just shortly after the Fall. He came up to me one night at the bar and just started talking." She smiled somewhat. "He wasn't like a lot of the other guys at the bar. He was never drunk, never trying to get laid. He was sincere, kind. We started dating officially just a little bit after that." The others nodded, while Vanille put a hand on Lebreau's shoulder to comfort the woman.

"He'll make it, Lebreau. We'll get the stuff to make this salve, and he'll be back up in no time." Vanille tried her damnedest to cheer the woman up, and it seemed to work, because the woman smiled sincerely, letting a single tear fall down her cheek. She nodded weakly, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Thanks, Van…" She trailed off, losing herself to her thoughts. At about the same moment, Hope and Sazh came bounding around the ramp to the square. Vanille noticed the two, then stood up slowly, letting her hand linger on Lebreau's shoulder. The woman nodded again, allowing Vanille to fully remove the arm. It was replaced by a short, comforting hug.

"You'll be back with him in no time. You'll see." Vanille spoke simply, before turning to follow the pilot and young medic.

xXxXx

The first ingredient was easy enough to gather: Bismark didn't seem to notice the l'Cie, maybe due to their superior strength. Fang had said that Bismark wasn't a very strong fal'Cie, but he did have a large flock of creatures at his disposal. However, the group was able to grab the water before anything could happen.

It was with great displeasure the Lightning agreed to pick up Serah and Snow. The sensors on the display told Sazh that they were most likely in the cave they camped in for a night during their adventure. That was a moment that Lightning, and Fang, had tried to forget. Coming that close to death scared Lightning, and heading back there did nothing to help ease that feeling.

Lo and behold, Serah and Snow were there, fully clothed, eating on some meat that Snow must've caught. The pair looked at the airship with great confusion, which didn't seem to go away when Lightning and Fang walked out of the ship, Hope and Vanille closely behind.

"What's up?" Snow asked, not bothering to dance around the point. All that could do was annoy Lightning, and that was something Snow wanted to avoid with every fiber of his being right now. The soldier looked at him for a few seconds, then spoke.

"Gamenern got attacked by something." Snow immediately gaped, as did Serah, who was now right behind her husband. "Magic and artificial medicine hasn't done much to help him, so we're going to try a remedial salve that Vanille knows how to make." The redhead nodded lightly, then lead Serah to the airship. The rest of the l'Cie followed suit. Snow leaned forward slowly, speaking closely to Light's ear.

"How's Lebreau?" He seemed concerned; he knew of the relationship. Lightning nodded slightly, her only response. Snow sighed heavily, then stepped into the ship behind his sister-in-law.

xXxXx

The next stop on the journey was in the Mah'Habara Mines. Ever since coming to Gran Pulse, the people from Cocoon have been trying to unearth exactly what Atomos was trying to find. It seemed as if he was just tasked with building the tunnels, and there isn't much past information to go on.

Inside, the group knew that there were several rust puddings. They had no trouble finding one to kill, though Vanille had said that the part of the flan they needed was inside. "Flan blood." As the young girl had said. So, they would need about 4 rust puddings to collect enough of the brown liquid.

The first one they killed gave the group no resistance. They cut it's "head" off, and shocked it with as much thunder magic as the group could muster. It took no time to do so, and Fang went up to collect their spoils.

As soon as she did, she felt the urge to gag. The smell of rust pudding "blood" was repulsive. It smelled worse than behemoth dung, and that could burn your nose hairs. Using every ounce of will power not to puke, Fang drained out enough blood to fill the jar about a third of the way. When she sealed the lid, she was thankful the smell died down.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna pass on lunch…" Fang spoke sickly, looking at the soldier. "And breakfast…" Lightning let a small laugh leave her lips. Fang couldn't help but lean in to kiss Light, but the soldier stopped her abruptly.

"After you bathe, Fang." Lightning said, putting her index and middle fingers on Fang's forehead, holding the Oerban in place. A small smirk crept onto Fang's face, slightly unsettling the pinkette for a moment.

"Why wait till after?"

All Lightning could do was turn a bright shade of pink.

xXxXx

They had been searching for nearly an hour, the group had yet to find a single rust pudding. They needed just one more sample of the gunk, and Fang was nearing her wit's end. She was becoming slightly restless, though it was more do to the smell of the jar than the situation itself.

The small communicator that Lightning had beeped once, before shacking for a few seconds, and repeating the cycle. The soldier put the earpiece in and flipped the mouthpiece down. "Yeah, Snow?" She said, straight to the point.

"_Hey, we found one, but it's kinda big…"_ He spoke in a small voice, as if he was hiding from it. Lighting groaned, then motioned for her group to follow.

The sounds of a battle attracted the attention of the l'Cie. Snow was right, this one was _huge!_ It was as if several of the smaller ones had merged, as they were keen to do. Lightning huffed to Fang, who was already in her battle stance. The single thunder spell from Hope was enough to start the encounter, supported by the other l'Cie.

Enhanced with Hope's Enthunder spell, Fang and Lightning were able to deal out massive injury to the large pudding, though it's seemed hardier than the average rust pudding. Fang grinned uncontrollably. She loved a challenge, just like this one. She was answered with a smirk from Lightning. The two had a plan to fell this beast.

Lightning lunged first, aided by several simple thunder spells and swings from Fang. Lightning punched, kicked, shot and slashed, her Army of One instincts kicking in instantly. Her final hit was a point blank, thunder-charged bullet, exploding into a Thundaga.

Now Fang went in. Using every ounce of strength in her, she performed a bone-crunching uppercut, her attack sending the large mess of gelatin into the air as if it was a feather. Fang instantly followed it, hacking at it with each end of her staff, causing it's "skin" to rip and tear. Each injury made Fang's smile even wider.

Not one to be outdone, Lightning followed Fang, hoping to keep the monster airborne long enough for another round. The soldier leapt gracefully, her uppercut sending the flan even higher into the air. Using an effortless combination of thunder-imbued swings and thunder, she was able to match Fang's damage blow for blow. The warrior woman frowned slightly, but knew what she could do to end this.

As Light hit the ground, Fang jumped as high as she could, putting her just a few feet higher than the mass of rust she was currently mutilating. Her lance high above her head, she brought it down on the monster, slicing the beast clean in half. It fell unceremoniously to the ground, dead and utterly destroyed. Fang couldn't stop the grin from etching onto her face as she put her lance on her back, before shooting Lightning a smug chuckle.

"I win."

xXxXx

After seeing daylight for the first time in nearly 2 hours, the l'Cie filed back into the airship, tending to whatever wounds they had suffered. Nothing was severe, though Hope had run headfirst into a sleeping Juggernaut, waking the machine. It wasn't too hard to kill, seeing as the machine was in utter disarray. It almost didn't put up a fight; it just swung wildly, grazing Vanille once, though that was answered with a single blow to it's command console, shutting the weapon down.

The lunch the group was to have was a simple sandwich that Lightning had made before leaving. Surprise crossed Serah's face as her sister made something edible that didn't involve the word "instant". Lightning simple shrugged it off, munching on her sandwich hungrily. The other's followed suit, enjoying the gesture Lightning had shown.

They landed in the Steppes for their next three materials: The blood of a Humbabaa, 500 Cactuar needles, and the Flan pudding. Seeing as they landed in an area abundant in flans, they decided to kill flans first.

It wasn't nearly as hard, nor as smelly, as the rust puddings. They only needed the brown pudding on the flan's head, and that was easy enough to get from the flan. So Hope thought…

Unbeknownst to him, the brown part of the flan is extremely jerky, and you need a pure sample of it, no yellow pudding at all. When he couldn't get the first one free, he accidentally (or maybe no so much on accident) fried the flan with a Firaga spell, cursing fairly colorfully at the goo.

'Note to self: Never make Hope angry if he has magic.' Lightning thought as Hope walked away from the smoldering mess that was once a flan. He looked entirely pissed off, an expression everyone thought only Snow had the pleasure of seeing. Speaking of which, the man had tried to hide behind Serah during the entire incident, fearing Hope might just go through with "Operation: Nora".

The next flan was handled by Vanille, who showed Hope how to best cut the brown part, which Vanille called the "Feeler", saying it was the only place the flan could feel anything. Using a small burst of Fire, Vanille worked around the edge of the feeler, cutting it away with no problem. After stuffing it into the jar, she warmed it up with a slightly bigger Fire spell, melting it into a thick brown pudding, like molasses.

It only took two flans to get enough pudding to fill the jar, so they headed for the slightly easier of the next two challenges: The cactuar. A normal cactuar has about 300 usable needles, a giant cactuar has just at 500. A cactuar prime, however, can have as many as 2000 usable needles. Unfortunately, cactuar primes only come from a cactuar evolving twice, and it's hard enough to do that. Then they can be a pain in the ass (literally) to kill. So, Vanille decided to do it the old fashioned way: Kill every cactuar they find while walking to a Humbabaa nest, wherever one may be.

The first cactuar they found was easy enough to kill, though Vanille was only able to gather 54 needle's from the fairly burnt husk of the green menace. The next one had 185 needles left, seeing as it tried to shoot some at Sazh, annoying the pilot greatly. The final cactuar they met gave them 75 usable needles. Vanille let her eyebrows meet in disappointment.

"You guys need to take it easy on these guys! You're burning the needles away!" Fang could only laugh as Vanille ranted, annoying the girl even more. She thought better of slapping the older woman, so she simply turned away and moved forward, forcibly dragging Hope with her.

Then Vanille saw it, standing quite a ways away. The Gigantuar, the largest of the cactuar family. These rare cactuars could have 30000 needles easy, even if they were totally burnt to a crisp. She couldn't help but smile as she took out her Nirvana, looking at the Gigantuar with glee.

"Uh, Vanille, what are you smiling about?" Hope asked gingerly. Vanille didn't seem to be just smiling, it seemed almost maniacal. She giggled at Hope's question. Though she probably meant for it to sound carefree, it came out as sinister, very uncharacteristic of the girl. Hope sighed fearfully, then looked into the distance.

xXxXx

The target had come closer, drawing at least Sazh's attention. The pilot immediately drew his pistols, pointing them at the Gigantuar. "I remember you!" He said, causing the rest of the l'Cie to take up a battle stance as well. "You're that same cactus we met the first time 'round." Fang couldn't help but chuckling as she remembered Sazh trying, and failing miserably, to catch the cactuar, the first one they met on Gran Pulse. It seems he had grown since then.

Sazh struck first, shooting the plant with fire-empowered bullets. Hope and Serah both began to work on protecting and healing their comrades, while Fang and Lightning charged the monster, Vanille trying to entangle the beast.

The first victim of the 10,000 Needles attack was Snow, who had the cactuar's attention. Immediately, the sentinel fell to a knee. The attack itself did little damage, but the needles sticking out of his skin had caused a world of pain. Serah's Esuna spell, followed by Hope's Curasa, was able to bring feeling back to the man. Again, he guarded against the next attack.

With Serah now entirely focused on keeping Snow healthy, and therefore able to take the needle attacks, Hope began to enforce the party with Enfire, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible. Fang and Vanille both began to support where possible, Fang trying to find a debuff that would stick, while Vanille added to Hope's enhancements with her own, fairly new, spell: Bravera. She had yet to see it in action, but she could tell it was much better than the standard Bravery spell Hope could use.

The spell worked wonders. As soon as Sazh, Fang and Lightning had the spell active, it turned the tide of the battle immediately. The monster became frantic as the combination of Enfire and Bravera tore at his skin. In a panic, he expelled his 10,000 Needles attack in an outward explosion, rather than the normal focused attack. This is where Vanille's second self made spell, Protectra, made a world of difference. The needles bounced off of the spell's barrier harmlessly, just before Fang brought down vicious Highwind attack, ending the green giant's life.

Vanille then began to pick the remaining needles from the large corpse. Sazh holstered his guns, dusting his hands off after doing so, then approached the green pile. With a smirk, he did his best imitation of a bodybuilder, while one foot stood on the corpse. "You don't mess with old Sazh now, do ya?"

The rest of the l'Cie couldn't help but laugh openly.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, gotta save some action for next chapter. Those final ingredients should be fun to collect. : )<strong>

**Well, it's 1:10 AM here, so I'm off to bed. I'll update again soon, no later than Sunday, honest.**

**Ciao!  
><strong>


	5. Memory

_**Undying**_

**Here I am! Back with an update of _Undying_. This chapter picks up with the collection of the supplies for Gamenern's salve. More action, so here it comes.**

**K, enjoy the chapter. See ya at the bottom!**

**Word Count: 3233**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to?... Okay...I don't own anything to do with FFXIII. SE does, so don't sue me.**

**Chapter 5: Memory  
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><p>Now carrying 1000 cactuar needles (Vanille said that they could be ground into a very tangy seasoning), the l'Cie now were searching for a Humbabaa. Not something most sane people plan on doing. Humbabaa's have a tendency to tear people apart if they get too close, so most people wisely keep their distance.<p>

So, either these l'Cie had a death wish, or they had a plan. The good news was they had a plan. The bad news was, their plan was "Run in, kill it, get some blood." That's why Lightning never liked it when Snow lead the group of l'Cie 6 months ago.

The white behemoth they were currently tracking was laying in a large, dug out pit, snoring quite loudly. Each exhale sounded feral, while each inhale sounded almost human. It was quite the freaky situation. Most people would never, ever get this close to a Humbabaa, awake or asleep.

When they found their target, Snow and Fang wanted to just run in headlong, but Lightning, being the level head here, said no. She had formulated a plan she hoped would work, at least long enough for them to get the blood.

"Yeah, I have a plan." Fang said, smirking as she ducked low and began to approach. "Kill the damned thing and then grab a sample." Fang felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. Only three people could make Fang stop like that with a simple touch: Gamenern, out of her large respect for him. Vanille, out of shear protective nature, and Lightning, only because the soldier made her heart do funny things and her body act on it's own volition.

Lightning turned the Pulsian around, bringing her down, out of sight of the slumbering beast. "Listen, you should know full well what that thing is capable of." Lightning was slightly annoyed, but she held control over her emotions she could only do for Serah and Fang. The warrior softened, slightly, agreeing to listen to all options before running in, guns blazing.

"I have enough energy to do a single dose of Stop. Hope's got enough in him as well." Lightning pointed at the beast. "Me and Hope can hold that thing still for maybe a minute total, then after that, we can use your plan if necessary." Fang perked up at the last part, then looked around the group.

All eyes fell onto Snow. "Oh, no no no! I am not going near that thing unless it's to punch it's face in." Snow put his hands up defensively, but was seriously outnumbered. Even Serah was volunteering him to go up and stick a syringe into the behemoth. "Way to support me, babe." He added quietly, taking the syringe from Vanille's hands.

Lightning got into position, just about 30 feet from the beast, who was still asleep and unaware of the l'Cie. "Ready?" She asked everyone. Snow gulped once, then nodded. Hope got into his spot, ready to freeze the beast when Light's Stop spell ended.

Lightning nodded to Snow, who ran in silently. It stirred the Humbabaa, who looked at Snow groggily for about two seconds, before roaring loudly at the sentinel. Before it could do anything else, Lightning Stopped it, immobilizing it for the moment.

Wasting no time, Snow stuck the beast. He got lucky, hitting the blood vessel in his first time. Pulling the plunger out as quickly as he could, the black/red liquid poured into it. The first half was finished, just as Lightning's Stop faded. She collapsed to her knees, drained from the strain of holding the spell rather than just using it once. Hope quickly regained control over the freeze spell, so it hardly moved from it's position.

Snow stuck the beast's neck this time, not wanting to fish for the veins in the beast's shoulder. Silently, a small roar of pain exited the mouth of the creature. The pumping of the Humbabaa's heart sped the process of filling the rest of the container, and Snow pulled back, just in time to avoid a powerful swipe from the beast.

Ready to fight, Vanille and Sazh threw every debuff they could get to land, crippling the beast, though only momentarily. Serah began to support the group, before taking on an offense herself. Snow, after putting the blood safely in Vanille's bag on the ground, turned around and provoked the beast, grabbing the Humbabaa's undivided attention. Slowly, Snow led the beast away from the others, putting plenty of room between them and danger.

Lightning and Fang soon joined the fray, hacking at whatever they could reach. Cries of pain erupted from the white behemoth as each blade hit with precession. Fang disabled the beast's right arm, while Lightning impaled it right under the neck, causing a vast amount of blood to gush out. The beast howled, then stood up, drawing it's deadly axe.

As this happened, Sazh got two well placed shots, and blinded the monster before it could react. Enraged, the Humbabaa swung blindly, not hitting anything, roaring in frustration. A block by Fang caught it's attention, allowing Lightning to disarm it by amputating the hand holding the large axe. Clutching the stump in agony, Fang impaled the beast in the stomach, before sending the monster sky high. Lightning chased it skywards, hacking at whatever was in range at the time.

Snow shortly followed, giving a signal to Fang to follow him. Gathering his strength, he brought his fist into the Humbabaa's stomach, sending it crashing into the ground below, making a fairly large crater. Fang followed up, her Highwind attack devastating the beast. Serah had charged her Ultima, and, when Fang got out of harm's way, she unleashed it, basically obliterating whatever was left of the behemoth.

From his perch in the distance, Lightning saw Titan nod in somewhat approval, and in somewhat disappointment. She paid him little mind, turning back to Vanille. She gathered all of the materials, then looked to the group. "Two more to go." The group fell slightly, remembering that they still had to kill a tonberry to finish this remedy.

xXxXx

Fang had said the only place she knew where a tonberry lived was just outside the Faultwarrens, wandering the ruins outside of the entrance. Gathering themselves, the group headed towards the Faultwarrens, ready to kill a tonberry and steal it's lantern.

Locating a tonberry wasn't too hard. It seemed as if an area of the large ruins were cleared just for this menace. Lightning had only ever fought one tonberry before, and that was before they had complete control over their powers. If this is anything like that last encounter, then they were in for one hell of a fight.

The fish-like stabber walked in front of the l'Cie, not taking notice of them. "Tonberry's are normally docile. They only fight when someone has done something wrong." Fang said, stepping to the edge of the pit that the tonberry was circling. It looked up at the huntress, but, after simply looking at it's knife, it continued it's own business. "It's thought that Tonberries are actually an old form of Cie'th. They are more civilized, but follow the same basic rules. Still bound to a singular focus."

Hope stepped beside the huntress, sitting on the edge of the large ring. "What is their focus?" He asked, looking up at the warrior. She smiled, then ran a hand through her hair.

"They are the physical form of karma. They deal justice to those that deserve it." Lightning scoffed, then drew her gun blade. Fang followed with her lance, looking at the others. "Might be easier to do this in a smaller group. These guys are bloody fast." They motioned for Hope to join them, before approaching the little green man…fish…thing…

The tonberry looked up, intrigued at this change of pace. He wouldn't have to hunt someone down. They had come to him. Brandishing his knife, the guy charged towards Fang, who he classified as the biggest threat.

Lightning deflected it with a single gunshot, stunning the tonberry for a second. Before it could recover, Fang was stabbing at him, unable to break the skin as she tried. So, instead of stabbing, she swung, pushing the Tonberry off balance.

Hope followed up with several rounds of whatever magic he could muster. He was unable to get an elemental spell to do anything, so he instead started throwing Ruin spells at him, which got a slightly more effective result.

However, the tonberry still had plenty of energy in him. Turning to Hope, he sprinted, getting past Fang and Lightning. Fear swelled in Hope's eyes as he used a last ditch defensive spell, casting Protect just at the knife met his skin.

Though the barrier helped somewhat, the attack still hurt. Blood leaked from the wound in the young man's thigh, causing him to buckle, falling to one knee. Lightning tossed a Cure spell to the boy, stopping the bleeding long enough for Hope to heal the wound more effectively with his own Curasa. Fang had grabbed the tonberry's attention, and was now attempting to parry the small knife attacks.

Lightning rushed the creature from behind, catching it off guard, with a point-blank gunshot. The bullet ran through the creature's head, though it didn't kill the tonberry. It only served to make him angrier. Fang backed off swiftly, the action repeated by Lightning. With Hope sidelined, Vanille took over, replacing the fallen medic. A silent nod was exchanged by the trio of women.

The tonberry was preparing his ultimate attack, Grudge, and was focusing on the injury in his head. If The l'Cie wanted to live to tell this tale, they would need to kill him before he could complete the attack. Grudge causing the damage on the tonberry to be returned tenfold, and an injury like the one he currently had would kill anyone within it's range.

Vanille attacked first, tangling the small limbs of the creature in the lines of her Nirvana, before launching the beast upwards, interrupting his concentration. Lightning followed him up, hacking at the small body, small orbs of black blood flying through the air as the Omega Weapon sliced through the green man's skin. She finished her assault with a downward slash, imitating Fang's Highwind, quite well, actually, right into Fang's attack.

A simple upswing with her Kain's Lance, and the tonberry was airborne again, courtesy of Fang. She gave the soldier a wink and a smirk, before unleashing a proper Highwind, this time doing enough to remove the tonberry's head from his small shoulders. The lantern hit the ground near the dead body with a soft thunk, flame still intact.

The Dia girl picked it up gingerly, then placed it inside of a slightly larger metal cylinder, before hiding it inside of the pack she was carrying. Slinging the pouch over her shoulder, she smiled ear to ear. "Last one, guys." She said hopefully. They now only needed the hybrid flora goop to finish this concoction. Swiftly, they filed into the airship, heading for their final destination: Yaschs Massif.

xXxXx

Hybrid flora, despite their large size, are actually quite the pushover. They absolutely hate fire and wind spells, so the l'Cie had little trouble inflicting deadly damage to the creatures. That being said, there had to be a catch…

"The stuff we need is in the plant on their heads, and there's not a whole lot of it." Vanille said, showing the amount they got from their first kill. A small vial. "We need to fill this." She pulled up a large pitcher, and filled it with the first kill. "That's about 20 of these guys…" Vanille trailed off. The l'Cie sighed.

This would take a while…

Two hours later, and they had just gotten kill number 15. It was getting to be difficult to stay focused, let alone sane. Fang was getting extremely edgy, attacking anything that happened to move. A whole band of munchkins were slaughtered when they tried to fight the warrior, and she did that single-handedly. While the other l'Cie were, rightfully, scared for their lives, Lightning was worried. An irritated Fang meant that she would have to deal with it.

Lady Luck, it would seem, had a sense of humor. They were wandering down a path that led to nowhere in particular, when they came across a nest, or growing area, filled with hybrid flora. There were maybe 20 of them here, so the group had plenty of extras to kill. And, to be honest, that was exactly what Fang wanted.

Ten minutes later, and Vanille was extracting the last of the goop from the plants, fitting the pitcher in her sack. The group brightened up when they stepped onto the airship, all sharing silent smiles. They were able to gather all of the materials within the day. It was quite the proud moment.

Once at Vanille's place, the Dia busied herself with making the salve. First, she put Bismark's water on the stove to boil, though it never would boil away, like normal water would. When heated, this water would fizz like clear soda pop, bubbling but never evaporating. The perfect solution to the need of boiling for a long time.

Next, Vanille blended the flan gathering together, the pleasant aroma of the hybrid flora extract far overpowering the rancid stench of the rust pudding blood. When mixed together thoroughly, the goop took on the same characteristics of molasses. Brown and viscous, it was slowly poured into the water, hissing when it was seeped inside.

Next, the girl took out a bundle of 500 cactuar needles, and placed it in a grinder. The sound of what could be mistaken as twigs being stepped on filled the air as the machine ground the needles into the fine dust that was needed to mix right. A full minute later, the sound had died down, signaling that it was finished. The powder that was once 500 very painful needles was poured into the simmering concoction, eliciting another hiss from the pot.

Finally, Vanille uncorked the vial with the Humbabaa blood and poured it into the mix. Instead of hissing, it almost sounded like the pot was growling, angry at Vanille. The black/red blood caused the mix to go from an unnatural brown to almost grey in a heartbeat, now bubbling like lava inside a volcano.

The last ingredient was added carefully. A tonberry's flame could steal the soul of anyone who touched it, so Vanille had to use a pair of tongs to hold the candle as she set it inside. With a final hiss, the flame extinguished, turning the salve a deep blue. It looked like it was in great turmoil, like the ocean during a severe thunderstorm.

After letting it simmer for nearly 2 hours, Vanille collected a sample from the pot. It was now very thin, like normal water, and a shade of turquoise similar to Lightning's eyes. With a smile, Vanille corked it and ran out the door as fast as her feet could carry her, and made a beeline straight for the hospital.

xXxXx

After a simple explanation, the doctors allowed the salve to be feed intravenously to Gamenern, the only way he could even ingest anything in his condition. The salve was set on a slow drip, feeding into the man's bloodstream directly. The others waited outside, waiting for anything to happen in the room.

Almost immediately, the wound in Gamenern's gut was mending. A short Curasa from Vanille sped the process along, closing it with a soft squish. This was followed by a breathless groan from the man, shifting slightly as he stirred. Vanille was smiling, looking quite pleased with herself.

Gamenern opened his eyes to see Vanille smiling, and let one grace his face. "What slave you make this time?" He asked in a slightly amused tone. Vanille just shrugged.

"The tonberry one." She said, sitting down next to the sleeping Lebreau. Gamenern chuckled silently, then let his eyes fall onto Lebreau.

"How long was I out?" He asked, hoping nothing bad had happened. He knew he was attacked, but he couldn't see who it was. Vanille sighed.

"Not long. Only a day or so." She stood up, stirring Lebreau, whose eyes opened to see Gamenern looking at her. Instantly she sobered up from her sleep, bolting upright.

"You're alive!" She said, standing up to approach the man. Carefully, she found a way to embrace him in a hug, which was weakly returned by the Yun male. A smile crept onto Gamenern's face as Lebreau pulled away.

"Miss me?" He asked playfully. The barmaid simply smiled again, planting a soft kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, the door to the room opened as the other l'Cie walked in, all smiles. They were glad their efforts paid off.

"Welcome back to the living, son!" Sazh said, sitting himself next to the man. Gamenern sat upright, all of his strength returning with each second. He gave a nod in the other's direction, signaling he was okay, before looking at Fang. He knew what she was planning on asking.

"I don't know who attacked me." He said, leaning back so he could look at the ceiling. "I had just dropped Lebreau off at her place. As I approached my car, this guy with a flaming sword attacked me." He grunted slightly, shifting his weight to his hands as he made himself more comfortable. "Next thing I remember before waking up was the man talking about the gods. Then, he just disappeared." The others gave him an odd look, ones of confusion.

"He was surrounded by a purple flame, then wasn't there anymore." He laughed at himself. "Though, I might have been seeing things. You know, after basically being run through like that." He held a joking tone as he spoke, which was answered by a relieve laugh from Snow.

"Glad you're okay, man." Snow patted the patient's shoulder, then sat back down with Serah. Gamenern cocked an eyebrow, then looked at Lightning.

"No honeymoon?" He asked the soldier, who simply shrugged. The others laughed openly at Lightning's unenthused answer, all receiving glares from the soldier.

Before Fang could even defend herself, the door was opened. They looked up, expecting a doctor, but were dead wrong. A woman, no more than 24, had stepped in. She had black hair, so dark you could tell it was dyed. Her natural hair color was likely white, as the roots of her hair were that tone, as were her eyebrows. Her eyes were a blank grey, though they still held a softness in them. Next to her, a small child, maybe 4 years old, stood, with two blonde pigtails on either side of her head. She looked a lot like Vanille did.

The woman sighed, then let a smile grace her face. She looked at her daughter, as the others had inferred, then back to Gamenern. The woman's gaze unsettled him: It was so familiar. He tried to picture her with white hair, hoping to remember where that look came from.

Then he saw her, in his mind's eye. Back then, she had hair much longer than Fang's, and never had it up. She always let it fall naturally, only brushing it when she woke up or finished running.

Gamenern's breath hitched as the words escaped his mouth. "Haala?"

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed! A lot of the next few chapters build up to this mystery man from Chapter 2's ending. They'll also have a lot of action in them!<strong>

**Well, R&R and thank you!  
><strong>


	6. Chaos

**_Undying_**

**Hi, I'm back. *sigh* I am really getting engrossed in this fic, I'm not working on my other one. I guess that's good and all, but I just can't get motivated to write WoTLK at the moment. Oh well, guess you'll have to deal with this update instead.**

**I really didn't like the flow of this one too much. Might be a little rushed near the middle, and it feels strung out at the end. Oh well, I guess it'll do.  
><strong>

**So, without further ado, here is chapter 6 of _Undying. _Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 4223**

**Disclaimer: I've said it enough times. I don't own jack. Seriously.**

**Chapter 6: Chaos  
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><p>Gamenern sat, wide eyed, looking at Haala. Fang and Lightning both took note of the new woman. They wanted to ask the questions they had, but it seemed as though Gamenern had answered them. An uneasy silence fell over the group, broken only when Lebreau spoke up.<p>

"Who's this?" She asked, slightly curious. Gamenern immediately broke his trance, looking at the barmaid, then to the other l'Cie. A nervous smile graced his face.

"Uh, guys, this is Oerba Fehn Haala." Everyone except Fang and Lightning sat up straighter, confused. "I knew her before I became a l'Cie." He let out a large sigh. "Actually, I dated her." He spoke with a small voice, looking down at his feet.

Lebreau let out a small gasp, then looked at the woman in question. Haala seemed nice enough. The other Pulsian nodded lightly, confirming that Gamenern spoke the truth. Most people would be angry, but Lebreau wasn't. She almost felt pity for Gamenern. He probably had no clue that Haala was even alive. But that posed an interesting question…

"You were a l'Cie?" Sazh asked. Yep, there it was. That interesting question. Haala nodded, then craned her neck upwards, exposing it.

"Still am." She spoke with an accent mush like Vanille's. Not as thick as Fang's, but thicker than Gamenern's. On her neck, just below her cheek, was a whitened out l'Cie brand. The others sighed.

"Where have you been?" Gamenern asked now. Haala looked at him, then sighed.

"I woke up 5 years ago." She sat down in a chair, sitting her daughter, Penelo, on her lap. "It was on Cocoon. I knew as soon as I saw a bulletin talking about the dangers of the past l'Cie that I wouldn't be welcomed as a l'Cie, so I hid it." She smiled. Penelo seemed interested in Vanille's hair, being so similar to her own.

"I changed my appearance in case anyone I knew from the past woke up." She pointed to her hair with a short chuckle. "After that, I had to get a job somewhere." She looked at Sazh. "Before, I worked at the Eden Orphanage." Gamenern put his hand up to speak.

"You lived in Eden?" He asked her. She nodded in response. "So you knew about our 'attack' on the SANCTUM?" He questioned, slightly confused. Again, a nod.

"I only learned that you were still alive after the fact. You never appeared on TV." She spoke, looking at Fang. "You, on the other hand…" Fang put her hands up in defense. Lightning laughed.

"So, how did you find me?" Gamenern asked. Haala looked back at the man. "How'd you know I was here?"

The woman gave a small sigh. "The man who attacked you…" She said, softening her expression instantly. The others leaned in, focused on what Haala said. "He was my brother." A chorus of gasps. "I don't understand it, though." She continued, leaning back. The others did the same. "He died before I became a l'Cie. He shouldn't be around now."

Gamenern let out a long sigh, falling back into his bed. All that energy he had beforehand has escaped him. He felt like he went 10 rounds with an oretoise. Scanning the room without any focus, his eyes came to rest on Penelo, who was looking around with wonder. He felt a small pang in his heart as he sat upwards.

"Guys, can I talk to Haala for a moment?" Lebreau went to speak, but Gamenern put his hand up. "Don't worry. I won't take long." He gave her a reassuring smile, before she nodded. She followed the others out of the room, Fang and Vanille staying in the doorway to give Gamenern a concerned look, before disappearing.

xXxXx

Once alone, Gamenern turned to Haala. "Who's the father?" He asked, pointing to Penelo. Haala thought for a minute, before she sighed.

"You don't remember?" She asked, very concerned. Gamenern gave a short chuckle.

"Don't remember?" He spoke with a feigned humor. "I didn't see you again after that last night we had together." Another chuckle. "I only found out you were a l'Cie after they brought your crystal back to Oerba to display in the Vestige." Haala nodded sadly, then let out a sigh.

"Listen, Haala…" Gamenern started, looking at Penelo. The young girl's eyes were fixated on himself. He couldn't help but see something familiar in her face. "I'm not mad that you completed your focus." He took his gaze off of the blonde to look at the dyed haired woman. "I'm just mad that you didn't tell me about it. What was your focus?" He spoke this all with a single breath, quite quickly. It was a way to tell that the man was angry.

Haala looked at the floor, then to her daughter. "Her." She spoke simply. Gamenern didn't follow. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, then at the young girl. Haala sighed. "My focus was to have Penelo." She spoke this with a small voice, much like whenever Vanille was caught doing something bad back at the orphanage. Gamenern looked between the two for a minute before gasping.

"I'm the father, ain't I?" He asked shortly and very confused. Haala simply nodded. The man fell back into his bed even more. A hand came up to run through his messy hair. Then, he gave a small laugh. A real, genuine laugh. Haala smiled.

"I can't believe it…" He said, his hand now in front of him. He was looking over every feature of it. "I was hoping that you would wake up, even if it wasn't in my lifetime." He smiled. "Somehow, I knew." Haala nodded.

"You know, I always though you were dead." Haala confessed. "Even when I saw Fang and Vanille, I thought you had died a long time ago. I just guess that I gave up." She spoke with a small hint of sorrow. Gamenern once again sat up.

"You didn't give up. You moved on." He tried to console her. It worked slightly. "I was the one who gave up." It was his turn to speak with sorrow. "I know I held onto hope, but I just moved on without any worry." He chuckled lightly. "I met Lebreau and moved." He sighed. Then he fell back to the bed.

Haala shook her head of her sadness, then looked to the door. "How long have you and Lebreau been together?" Though part of her felt angry for asking, another part of her, the more reasonable part of her, felt that it was an honest enough question. She still loved Gamenern, but she knew it would be idiocy to expect him to throw everything away at the first sight of her. Gamenern sighed, then looked up.

"About five months." He said, before a small laugh. "I met her in Eden, during that attack. It was only for a few minutes, but we all shared the same goal. We all wanted to take down the SANCTUM and the fal'Cie." He shook his head, then threw the blanket covering him over, testing the strength of his legs. When they didn't protest at the weight, he stood up entirely, shakily at first but quickly steadied. He smiled.

Taking one step forward, he held his hand out to Haala. "Look, I know this is hard, but we'll get through it." Haala took the hand, helping Penelo stand as well. "We can still be friends, alright?" Haala smiled, then grasped Penelo's hand in her own. The woman muttered her silent thanks, then followed Gamenern out of the room.

xXxXx

Despite several protests from his doctors, Gamenern insisted that he was able to return home. Being l'Cie and all, he was quite sure that he was healed and ready. Even so, his doctors had asked him to take it easy, and to not stay alone for the next few days. With reluctance, he agreed to stay with Fang and Lightning, at the soldier's request. When asked about her offer, she simply said that after everything Gamenern had done for her, it was the least she could do. Fang had to do a double take to make sure her lover was still her lover.

Haala left the other l'Cie behind as they headed to Light's place, which had become a sort of gathering point for them. Every few days, the l'Cie would cycle through her house, chatting and laughing and annoying the soldier to no end. Still, after all she had gone through, Lightning couldn't help but enjoy this new family she had.

Currently, Gamenern was sitting on the couch, watching the TV with much enthusiasm. Currently, it was playing back a very good crime drama. NCIS. Every now and then, the man and others watching would laugh at the characters lines and reactions, especially the one called Tony.

On commercial, the man would talk with Sazh and Snow about nothing in general. Sometimes, the men would laugh as someone told a joke or some funny incident that had happened in the past few weeks or whatnot. Hope sometimes chimed in, but most of what the men said went well over the young boy's head.

Serah was being aided by Vanille in the kitchen. They were making a big stew for the l'Cie, the same stew that had been served by the Pulsians during their first night here. It had become a signature dish of the l'Cie, and even Sazh had warmed up to it. This time, it was just part of a bigger meal. There would be a salad, made with fruits from across the plains of Gran Pulse, and toasted bread slices for the stew.

Despite her protests, Lightning was forced to help in the preparations of the meal. Some of the coaxing was done by Serah, who had always asked Lightning to help her, and some of that was from Vanille, though she was more doing it at Serah's asking. The only reason she stayed to help was because Fang asked. When she looked back at it, she laughed internally. Etro, how that woman changed her entire life in a matter of days. It wasn't bad, actually. No, it was the best thing to ever happen to the soldier.

She was mainly helping to set up the table and grab the different seasonings for the meal (Fang made sure she had a large stockpile of salt at hand). Lightning found the entire salt fetish quite the amusing. Sure, the soldier liked salt on her meals sometimes, but never in the excess that Fang used. The woman would coat her meals in so much salt it looked like snow. She never found out why Fang liked salt so much.

"Hey, Fang?" Lightning asked, setting plates around the fairly large dining room table. The warrior simply hummed in response, allowing Lightning to continue her inquiry. "Why do you like salt so much?" She felt like an idiot after asking. The warrior cocked an eyebrow, then chuckled.

"I need a reason, huh?" Fang asked in a teasing manner. She then pointed at Lightning's abdomen with a smile. "I could ask you the same about your piecing there, dear." Heat on her cheeks betrayed Lightning's straight expression. Again, Fang chuckled. "You never did tell me why you got that, now that I think about it." Fang then nodded in her direction, as if demanding Light to spill her beans. The solider caved.

"I got it when I was 17." She said, placing the last plate on the table before walking over to the large salad bowl on the bar. "I got a little drunk with a few other recruits and woke up with it." The soldier frowned at Fang's obvious entertainment. "What?" She asked, slightly annoyed and slightly amused. The other woman laughed.

"Nothing. Just seems odd of you to do something like that so spontaneously." Obviously, she didn't seem to convinced at the soldier's story. After putting the salad down, Lightning turned to Fang.

"Well, what about you?" Lightning asked. Fang stopped to think, or look like it, anyways, and shrugged.

"I dunno. I like the taste, I guess." Light frowned, before shaking her head. Amused, Fang gave Light a quick peck on the lips, then turned to help Vanille carry out the hot stew. "Besides, it reminds me of you." Despite the chaste tone she was using, Fang's eyes were sizing the soldier up quite seductively. Lightning had to grip the back of a chair to keep her footing.

xXxXx

After the dinner, the l'Cie spent some time relaxing and reminiscing. Despite being in contact ever since Cocoon fell, they had very little time to actually talk like this. A lot of stories were shared. For example, Hope had returned to school, attending the only school that was active at the time in Oerba. He was living on the north side of the town, while his dad was helping with the construction of the buildings around Oerba.

Sazh was in charge of the orphanage here in Oerba. He chose the job when he saw how many children the Purge had orphaned. Vanille worked with him, though she mainly helped with the groceries and getting people to adopt. Snow had the NORA business to run. After the Fall, NORA was one of the first groups to help people settle. They helped clear out Oerba and even worked security details. They were the policing section of the new Guardian Corps.

Before they knew it, the l'Cie had to return to their own houses. They shared their goodbyes as they shuffled out of Lightning's house. All but Gamenern, of course. He had decided that he would sleep on the couch in the living area, being only one bed in the house. Though Lightning had offered to move herself and Fang out to the couch, Gamenern insisted. He was the guest here, he didn't want to intrude on any "activities", as he called them. Fang simply laughed while Lightning had to resist a strong urge to punch the man.

He was about to fall asleep when he heard a phone ringing. A loud groan from Lightning and Fang followed it, then he heard Lightning's muffled voice answer the machine.

A few seconds passed before he heard, "It's for you!" From the bedroom, though tiredness from both ends made it impossible to tell who exactly shouted it. Sitting up, Gamenern grabbed the nearby phone off it's hook and spoke into it.

"Yeah?" His voice was laced with tiredness.

"_Gamenern?"_ A female voice spoke. Haala. Gamenern woke up slightly.

"Haala, what's wrong?" He looked at the wall clock. 0132, it read. "It's 1:30 in the morning."

"_Something's happening to Penelo."_ Fear laced the woman's voice. Gamenern shot upwards, quickly grabbing his axe, the only thing her insisted on bringing, and slung it over his side.

"What? Is she sick or something?" His own voice was fearful, and quite loud. A door creaked slightly, though Gamenern paid it no mind.

"_No, it's something else. It's like she's possessed or something."_ Haala seemed on the verge of crying now. _"I need your help. I don't know what to do." _Her words were barely coherent. She was past crying now. She was on the verge of hysterics.

"I'm on my way, hang on!" He said, then put the phone on the receiver. Lightning was looking from the hallway, dressed in only her underwear. Had the situation been less serious, the man may have been blushing. But now, that didn't matter. He asked her one question, quick and direct. "Where does Haala live?"

xXxXx

Gamenern ran to Haala's house with every ounce of energy he could muster. Fang and Lightning agreed to get the entire group together to meet him there. It may have sounded like a foolish offer, but Gamenern could tell something was way off about the way Haala sounded. Rarely, if ever, did the woman get hysterical. So, when she did, it was definitely something to take seriously. Besides, something inside of Gamenern told him something was off. Call it fatherly instinct, but Gamenern could tell that this was a real danger.

He stepped up Haala's front porch and didn't wait to announce his arrival. He stepped into the house, not bothering to knock, only to nearly lose any resolve he had left.

Haala was kneeling in front of some dark figure, small and black. Gamenern couldn't make out any features, but he felt that this dark…thing…was Penelo. He instantly ran to Haala's side, kneeling down in front of the girl just like Haala.

"What is this?" He asked, not entirely to Haala. Still, he received an answer, and it wasn't from Haala.

"That is Chaos."

Gamenern and Haala turned back to the source of the response. Standing in the living room, dark hair kept out of his face, wielding a sword that danced with a purple flame, was the man who attacked Gamenern. Haala's brother. Gamenern didn't even think, he just rushed the man.

He was deflected effortlessly into the wall behind the man. He left a large cave in the wall, falling out of it, plaster and wood chips landing on his body. Before he could even retaliate, Gamenern was disarmed and lifted into the air by one of the man's slender, muscular arms.

"Good to see you made it through, Gamenern." The man spoke. His voice had a similar accent to Haala's but his was gruffer and much more sinister. Gamenern growled, trying to free himself from the man's hold. It only tightened.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He spoke as if he was talking to a friend. Gamenern only growled louder. "My name is Oerba Fehn Aalere." He put his sword arm to his heart. "I was killed over 500 years ago because of a failed weapons test." Then, without warning, he threw Gamenern towards Haala. The woman caught him, staggered off balance by the force Gamenern was tossed to her with.

"I was brought back to life yesterday to serve a new master." He smiled, pointing his sword to the large, indomitable crystal of Coccon. "I now serve Lindzei."

Before Gamenern could respond, a feral growl was heard behind him. Penelo, or the figure that was once Penelo, was looking at him and Haala, blood red eyes sizing them up. He knew that gaze. It was a hunter's gaze, looking at it's prey, ready for the kill. Haala gave a ragged gasp, though it was much more a whimper than a gasp. Gamenern leaned in to his daughter, his hand outstretched. Aalere laughed.

"You fool." He said, pointing his sword at Gamenern. "You really think that my sister here was given the focus of carrying your child just to procreate?" Aalere stepped forward, letting his sword fall limply at his side. "You are a Yun. You hold within you a vast, feral energy that comes from your life on the hunt." The man continued to approach Gamenern, Haala, and Penelo, that sinister smile still on his face.

"You see, Fehn have always been masters of dark magic." He pointed to the flames on his blade. "When those bloodlines are mixed, the child born will contain a large power within it." He then knelt behind Gamenern and Haala. "That being is known as Chaos. A monster so powerful, the energy that Ragnarok unleashed in the War would be dwarfed. And that's just in Chaos's summoning. The actual power Chaos holds is unlimited. It will be the salvation that my Master is looking for."

Gamenern had heard enough. Using every ounce of magic he had within him, he turned to Aalere and unleashed his most powerful Firaga attack onto the man. Caught off-guard, the enemy was thrown out of the house, landing with a loud thud outside, a large, smoldering hole in the wall where he went through. He turned his attention back to Penelo.

"Penelo, are you in there?" Gamenern asked. He was only answered with another feral growl, though it seemed much more held back. There was still some sanity inside. Gamenern knew he had to keep trying. "Penelo, it's your father. I'm your father." Gamenern continued, putting his hands on her shoulders. The beast growled even louder, but was now doing so through heavy breaths. He was breaking through.

"This in not you. You are not this beast, baby. You would never hurt your mom, would you?" Gamenern's voice was soft, almost pleading. The beast's breaths got even heavier and much more ragged. The dark aura surrounding it was fading. Her features were starting to return. "That's it. Come on, you're alright." Gamenern brought her into a tight embrace, holding Penelo close to his chest.

The aura faded away completely, allowing color to return to Penelo's small frame once more. Her features had returned to normal, though a scowl was still on her face. Her eyes had yet to return to there normal tone; they were still blood red and wide.

Before Gamenern could even react, he heard movement outside. Turning away, he saw Aalere standing in the hole that was once the doorway, smiling, clutching his chest. "Impressive." He said. His voice was weak but still evil. A dark laugh escaped his lips. "You have the complete control over the girl, Gamenern. That's impressive." Aalere stepped forward, though this time, Haala stood to confront him.

"Sister, you wouldn't." The man asked in mock worry. Haala simply summoned forth a single blade, similar to Odin's Zantetsuken. She took a step forward before pointing it at her brother.

"You are not my brother." Her voice was weakened from sorrow, but she was still able to convey her anger at the man before her. Aalere simply chuckled, taking his battle stance.

"That's too bad." He spoke, before lunging at her. His attacks were deflected, though Haala herself was unable to land a blow either. Haala was able to push Aalere backwards, out of the house, landing on the lawn with a soft thud. They continued their battle as Gamenern picked up Penelo, now completely normal and asleep, in his arms and ran outside, hoping to get his daughter to safety.

xXxXx

The other l'Cie had begun to arrive. Lightning and Fang arrived first, and, upon seeing the battle, stepped in to help. Before they could, a barrier was erected around the fighters, separating them from the two l'Cie. Fang punched the barrier three times, trying to break it, but to no avail. Gamenern steeped beside the two, still holding Penelo.

"I need to get her to safety." He said, turning around just in time to see the rest of the l'Cie approaching. With a smile, Gamenern ran to Serah and Snow. "Snow, Serah, take Penelo to your place, please." He handed the girl gingerly to Serah, who nodded. Snow looked at the fight, then to the girl in his wife's arms, then nodded as well. The two turned around and took off to their home to hide the girl.

Sazh tried shooting at the man fighting Haala but bullets fared no better than Fang's previous attempts. Gamenern grabbed his axe from inside the house and lunged at the barrier, not able to get inside. "Damn it!" He cursed, swinging several times at the barrier to no use. Even when he was supported by Vanille's Bravera spell, he was unable to make a dent in the defense.

Haala was able to hold her own against Aalere, though the raven-haired man seemed to be toying with her. He swung wide each time, telegraphing his attacks. The woman noted this, and began to work on her plan to attack him. She simply went defensive, blocking the attacks as close to her body as possible, in the event that Aalere tried to bait her into countering. The man frowned.

"You're much better than I gave you credit for, Haala." He said, jumping back for a slight reprieve. The woman simply huffed, bringing her blade up in a defensive stance, and looked over to Gamenern. She had a soft look in her eyes, as if asking for forgiveness.

Gamenern saw the plan forming before it actually happened. "No, Haala, don't!" He shouted, swinging franticly at the barrier, hoping to break through.

Aalere charged Haala again. The woman gave a small smile, then was hidden inside of a blinding white light. It filled the entire block, blinding whoever was looking in the general direction of the fight. Gamenern had to pull his hand up to block to light from blinding him.

It began to subside, leaving behind a breathtaking view. Haala had her blade inside of Aalere, sticking out of his back. He was wide eyed, looking down at the blade in his stomach. With a small smirk, Haala pulled the blade out forcibly, letting the blood fl outward to the ground. The man clutched his wound, before falling to a knee. He frowned at his sister, then faded into a flash of purple flame.

Haala let her blade disappear to wherever it came from, and turned around to Gamenern. The sight before him would never leave his memory.

Haala's stomach was ripped open, as if a blade ran horizontally against it, blood seeping freely from it. She gave Gamenern a weak smile, then collapsed into a heap on the ground, her body beginning to turn into a form of crystal.

"HAALA!"

* * *

><p><strong>This was quite hard to get out. I always hate having to kill a character, unless they are like the Cie'th guy from IPY. I get to attached to them, I guess. Well, this builds up to the next arc, which will start the group's next adventure. Hopefully, it will not disappoint.<strong>

**Until next time!  
><strong>


	7. Life, Continued

_**Undying**_

***As Jar-Jar Binks* Hello!**

***Normal Voice* Ahem. Sorry. Hey, guys! Sorry if this update seems later than some of my previous ones. This chapter just didn't want to be written! God, my writer's block might be back. *growls at the sky* As such, this one might not be as good as the others, but hopefully it will get better in the next few chapters.**

**Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 2903**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. You know the whole deal.**

**Chapter 7: Life, Continued  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Two days ago, the life of Haala Fehnly was tragically ended at the hands of her brother, Aalere." A priest in red robes spoke from behind a small podium. Around him, the fresh air and cool breeze of the Pulsian daytime clashed ironically with the somber atmosphere in the cemetery.<p>

The entire l'Cie gang and NORA were in attendance, as well as a few of Haala's friends from Cocoon, sitting underneath a large tent, facing the priest and the casket. A picture of her, smiling and laughing, was propped on the wooden coffin, the only reminder of her face.

Haala herself was not inside the casket that lay in front of them. No, she had died as a l'Cie, and they die differently. The magic inside their bodies causes them to fade into a crystal upon death, very much like crystal sleep. However, instead of ending up as a life-size sculpture of themselves, a l'Cie who dies turns into their Eidolith. For Haala, her Eidolith was a light-blue angel wing, extending from a very small lily. Currently, that crystal hung around Penelo's neck.

The l'Cie, save for Gamenern and Sazh, hardly knew Haala. Fang had met her one time before, and Vanille had seen her at the orphanage, but they never got to know the woman. Neither man had anything to say about Haala; Sazh only knew her professionally, and Gamenern hadn't talked much since her death.

That night saw so many emotions leave the Pulsian man. Haala had killed Aalere at the cost of her own life. It was a noble sacrifice. She was protecting her daughter, her daughter's father, and her new friends. She wanted peace in Oerba, much like the other l'Cie. But that didn't make her death any less painful for the man. He went into a depression that made Vanille worry about his well being. As such, she had Lebreau stay with him while he tried to cope with the loss.

The ceremony was short. The priest continued on about her life, her friends, and her daughter. He then said a prayer that would help her spirit find peace in the afterlife, though it was not repeated by the Pulsians. They recited their own prayer, an old Pulse prayer, that holds the same meaning, but to different gods (Cocoon prayed to Lindzei, and if what Aalere said was true, then Lindzei was the ultimate murderer). Despite their knowledge of the events, the l'Cie decided not to say anything, fearing that panic might take in. Better that they think it was just a random killing and not a second attempt at summoning the Maker.

xXxXx

After the funeral, the l'Cie gathered at Lightning's house. It was a quiet gathering, not at all like the one they had two days ago. The way Gamenern was acting, his sluggish movements, his quiet demeanor, and his downcast face, was nothing like his normal attitude. It was almost heartbreaking. Vanille and Fang had never seen him acting this way before, and both women were worried for him.

Dinner was a simple salad, with some toast and some fried fish. It wasn't a lot, and Gamenern only ate a few bites before he took off for the night. Everyone just let him go. It was his way of coping, distancing himself from everyone. It allowed him to think, to mull over what had happened, to try and put it into perspective.

Once Gamenern was gone, Vanille turned to Sazh, her eyes full of concern. "Sazh, what's gonna happen to Penelo?" She asked, breaking everyone's gaze onto the door. Sazh sighed, then leaned back.

"Well, according to the GC," He started, looking at Lightning. "She never wrote anyone down as a next of kin." He huffed. "Without a home for her, they'll put her in the Orphanage, I guess." Vanille sighed.

"What about Gamenern? Shouldn't he be the one to take care of her?" The redhead asked, slightly annoyed at the situation. Sazh shook his head.

"I'm not saying it's right, but Gamenern wasn't written down as the father." He sighed again. "I'll talk to him about it, see if he wants to, but I can't make him." He then gave Vanille a consoling look. "If anything, you can take care of her at the orphanage." This made the girl smile softly, and she went back to eating her food.

xXxXx

Life went on, however. Despite the next few days being fairly slow, life continued as normal. Hope continued his school work. Serah continued to help out with the younger kids in Oerba. Snow continued defending the town from whatever may try to attack. Fang helped Snow at times, though she was starting to help Guardian Corps soldiers learn to hunt and survive on the land. Sazh continued to work at the Orphanage, with Vanille replacing Haala's position.

Lightning wasn't to thrilled about the meeting she was attending today. Officials from the Guardian Corps were gathering to discuss the possibility of a new military base in Oerba. Lightning wanted nothing to do with the military after her escapade through Eden, despite several recommendations, most of them at the hands of Amador. While he was slightly upset that his best soldier wasn't going to rejoin the military, he understood where Lightning was coming from. After everything that had happened, the pinkette wanted to just relax.

Fang wasn't working today, so she could watch the house while Lightning was away. It wasn't going to take long, Lightning said, but sometimes you can't tell with the military. What should be a simple hour long meeting could turn into a day long discussion about useless stuff. This was one reason why Lightning didn't like politics. They were messy, pointless and tiring. She felt that the people had more say over what happened in the city over politicians.

Stepping inside the large town hall, Lightning immediately found Bartholomew Estheim standing outside the meeting room. Throwing her a small smile, he turned around to step into the large room. Lightning followed him in with a small thanks, then sat down at her designated spot. While most of Oerba's citizens went to Lightning for things such as buildings and finances, she was not the actual mayor. That role was recently filled by a man named Harrison Miller. His son, Jonah Miller, was Lightning's secretary. He had been working for her ever since Oerba was rebuilt, and was vehemently against his father's election.

Once seated, Lightning looked at Amador, who simply nodded before speaking. "Well, Farron, the soldiers stationed here feel that the city isn't very protected from any outside intruders." He motioned to a large map of the area, standing up and walking to it. "You see, while Oerba is situated in a very well protected area geographically, it still has a few gaps in it's coverage." He pointed to the valley that connected Oerba to the fields underneath Cocoon.

"This valley, for example, is a prime area for an enemy army to attack us from." As soon as he finished, several voices erupted from the room, all vocalizing their disagreement.

"The only city in that direction is New Eden!" One voice called out, to vocal agreement. "Why on Pulse would they want to ever attack us?" Again, agreement. Lightning cut in here.

"Because," the room went silent as she spoke. "We don't know exactly who is out there. We know that this area of Gran Pulse is currently uninhabited, but that doesn't mean all of it is empty." A few snickers were heard, and did not get by the woman. "You think this is funny?" She directed this at Harrison, who simply chuckled.

"500 years ago, Cocoon beat Pulse in the War." He spoke with a very deep, gruff voice. Several of the men in the room agreed. Even Lightning had to nod to this statement. It was true, after all. "When the primitive armies of Pulse tried to make their final attack on us, their very own savior killed them all. Ragnarok destroyed this world and all of it's inhabitants. What makes you so sure that monster let anyone survive?" His voice was now full of humor. It made Lightning sick. She had to grip the table in order to stabilize herself from downright killing the man in front of her.

"I know because that 'monster' is living among us today." This was met with several murmurs, most of them worried. "Ragnarok was the one who saved all of us, don't you remember? Six months ago, when we destroyed the fal'Cie, Ragnarok stopped Cocoon from crashing into Gran Pulse. He would never destroy it." Lightning spoke this quickly, her voice extremely angry. She wanted so bad to kill this man, but she knew that wouldn't get anything accomplished. The mayor simply laughed, joined by some of his advisors.

"You say that Ragnarok lives amongst us today? Ha, silly girl, I highly doubt that a beast of that size could go undetected for so long." He seemed genuinely amused at Lightning. He probably thought she was delusional.

His laughing fit ceased when a weak Fire spell exploded on the table in front of him. Everyone looked at Lightning with slight fear in their eyes. "That beast," She spoke with a venom she never used before. "Is Oerba Yun Fang." She stressed each syllable, her voice still extremely low. More silent conversations were passed. Lightning paid them no mind. She was focused on the cowering man known as the Mayor.

"She did fight in the War." Lightning continued. "And she did scar Cocoon. But she was the ultimate reason that Cocoon was saved." Her voice got slightly louder, but only enough to be considered her normal voice. The rest of the room simply nodded slowly. Then, Harrison gave a slight laugh. "What?" Lightning shot out, her hands crackling with electricity.

"Of course." He spoke as if it was as obvious as day. "No wonder you're fighting so fiercely against this." He smiled. "You're sleeping with her." Some audible snickers were heard. Again, they were paid no mind. "Tell me, Farron, can you separate your professional and personal lives?" Before he could even finish, Lightning was nodding her yes. "Are you sure?" He asked unconvinced. The l'Cie before him simply growled.

"Of course!" She yelled, her hand now disappearing behind a large yellow Thunder spell. Several people backed away from her and Harrison, while the mayor simply smiled again.

"Good." He said, taking a seat in his chair. Reluctantly, Lightning did the same thing. Harrison looked up to Amador, who was watching the entire event, and said, "You can have your base, Major. We'll start building this month, once we get finished with the freight station." The Major nodded, then took his seat next to Lightning.

"Now, onto our next matter…" Lightning groaned softly. Great, she was definitely going to be staying here longer than she wanted. "Several of our citizens were asking that we name this settlement 'New Bodhum'. They argue that since most of the people here are from Bodhum, it only makes sense." Again, Lightning spoke up.

"Never." She said simply. Several faces turned to her. "This town will always be Oerba." Harrison frowned.

"Well, you can't make that decision, Farron." He said, getting several agreements from the men. "Besides, our polls state…"

"You only polled the people not from Oerba." Lightning cut in. Several eye brows raised. "I conducted my own poll, and most of the people living here say they could care less what the city was named." Lightning was definitely pissed now. First, she has to come to some pointless meeting. Then she has to stay, while the actual mayor disagrees with her on every point. Finally, she has to deal with this same man trying to make Gran Pulse into something Cocoon captured. "Besides, we didn't take the city. We were given it." Lightning's voice softened up some, but Harrison simply shook his head.

"Fine, we'll hold a town hall hearing at a different date to discuss this." He wouldn't accept defeat, but he did give up on the topic, at least for now. "On to our next item…"

xXxXx

Two hours later, the meeting took a recess for lunch. Lightning headed to the nearest phone and dialed up Fang's cell number. A few moment's later and the line was picked up.

"_Speak."_ Fang spoke. Lightning gave a short chuckle at Fang's welcome.

"Don't use that tone with me, miss." Lightning spoke, her voice fairly playful. She could hear Fang smiling on the other end.

"_Hey, meeting taking too long?"_ Fang asked, her voice just as playful. Lightning audibly pouted.

"Yeah. Damn mayor doesn't care about the past. He wants to rename Oerba 'New Bodhum'. He's been pushing my last nerves." The tiredness in Light's voice amused Fang, who was giggling on her end.

"_Well, you tell him if he want's to rename Oerba, he'll have to go through me first."_ Fang was still laughing somewhat, though she was also miffed at that fact. Lightning smiled.

"I'll let him know." Lightning sighed. "Anyway, their just holding a lunch break. Damn meeting's gonna take another few hours." A half-groan, half-pout left followed this statement.

"_Okay then. I'll see if Vanille can come over to fix something for when you do get home."_ There was some shuffling on the other line as Fang moved around. From what Lightning could gather, Fang was watching TV, and because of the time, she concluded that Fang was watching her daytime soaps.

"Thanks, Fang." Lightning said, just as Jonah came in. She was needed back in the meeting. "Gotta go."

"_Alright. Love ya, Claire."_ Fang spoke from her end. Lightning chuckled.

"Love ya too, _Sunshine._" The pinkette spoke. She heard Fang go to say something on her end as she hung up the phone, but she didn't quite catch what it was.

xXxXx

The rest of the meeting was about pointless topics, like where to put the recent funding. Many of the people there wanted to cut the budget for survival skills and put it towards building another dome for the fireworks that Bodhum used to hold every year. That idea, however, was cut down when Lightning mentioned that without those skills, many of the hunters they had wouldn't be able to survive in the wilds, and without the hunters bringing in food, the city would starve. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Lightning was walking home when she saw Gamenern and Penelo at the small park near the orphanage. The man saw Lightning and flagged her over. Sighing, she walked over to him.

"Hey, Light." He said, watching as his daughter played with some of the other orphans. "I talked with Sazh the other day. He asked me if I was interested in adopting Penelo." Gamenern didn't mince words. He could see that Lightning was in a hurry to get home. So, he kept his conversation short.

"Yeah, we were talking about that after you left my house a few days ago." Lightning said, watching as the girl chased a boy, probably playing tag. "He said he would talk with you about it. You gonna adopt her?" She asked.

Gamenern sighed, then turned to Lightning. "I am, but, I wanted to ask you something." Lightning cocked an eyebrow, leaning against the rail around the park. "If anything happens to me, I want you and Fang to watch out for her. Keep her safe, y'know?" Lightning nodded, then let a smile grace her face.

"Of course. We will." Gamenern smiled, then gave Lightning a short hug. While the soldier still wasn't used to physical contact, she didn't try to pull away. She returned it for the whole second she could, before she saw Gamenern bound off to the building that was the orphanage. He waved once to Lightning, before the soldier walked off.

xXxXx

The sun was starting to set when she arrived at her house. She walked up to the front door and turned the knob. She was surprised to see that the door was already opened, cracking open when she pushed on it. Cautiously, she stepped into the house. "Fang?" She called out. No response. A small frown etched it's way onto Light's face. She walked to her bedroom.

When she opened the door, she knew something had happened. The room was a complete mess. The dresser looked as if it was hit by several Ruin spells, and the wall to the back room had a large, smoldering hole in it. "Fang, where are you?" This time, there was panic in Lightning's voice. When she got no response, Light pulled out her cell phone.

She found Fang's speed dial and pushed it in. The line rang for a few moments before her voicemail received it. Clicking the device off, Lightning scowled. She had drawn her Blazefire out and was searching each room.

When she got to the kitchen, she saw Vanille, slouched in a corner, a small cut on her forehead. She was breathing steadily, so she wasn't dead. A small cure spell from Lightning closed the wound on the girl's head up. Before she was able to continue, her phone rang, playing a tune that was reserved for Fang.

Faster than her namesake, Lightning had the device to her ear. "Fang!" She called into it. On the other side, there was a dark, sinister laugh that made Lightning's blood run cold.

"Guess again…"

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, there it is. Next chapter should be better, but might not come for a little while. This whole week will be busy for me (my band is dragging me to some concert tomorrow, and workPT will probably have me sleeping for most of the day). *sigh* Oh well, until then!**

**R&R  
><strong>


	8. Sacrifice

_**Undying**_

**I'm back! I am now under the impression that some cosmic force is trying to kill my will to write. I've been fighting this writer's block, I "broke" my finger a few weeks ago, and now there's a new FFXIII-2 trailer, and a demo! I was working on this really good until I saw that. Then, I just couldn't write. I must have rewritten this chapter three or four times before I got it to at least flow somewhat. Still probably sucks because of this writer's block. *sigh***

**Anyway, enjoy it!**

**Word Count: 3100**

**Disclaimer: I say it all the time. Final Fantasy and all of it's characters belong to Square Enix.**

**Chapter 8: Sacrifice  
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><p>The voice on the other end of the line was quite frightening, even to Lightning. She felt her breath hitch for a split second before she spat out "What did you do to Fang?"<p>

The man laughed again. "Patience, Ms. Farron." The voice now sounded eerily familiar. "Your girlfriend is fine. For now…" Another laugh. Lightning growled.

"If you want to get Fang back, you will come to the pillar holding up Cocoon." That was all the voice said before the line went dead. Lightning hit the redial button, but the call never went through.

Panic wasn't a feeling Lightning got often. Even when she became a l'Cie, she was able to keep her cool. But now, Lightning felt herself starting to panic. Fang was in danger. Mortal danger. And that meant that Lightning would have to face this man.

Lightning's soldier instincts kicked in. Looking through her speed dial list, she found Gamenern's name just a little bit below Fang's. She pressed the call and waited while the line rung.

"_Lightning?"_ Gamenern asked from his end, confused. Over the line, Lightning could hear Penelo playing with other children.

"Gamenern, some man kidnapped Fang." Lightning spoke. There was obvious fear in her voice, fear that betrayed the resolve Lightning had. She was going to kill whoever this was. Gamenern gasped shortly, then huffed.

"_I'm on my way."_ Gamenern responded, then hung up his end. Lightning scooped Vanille up and set her down on the couch. What was left of it, anyway. Whatever had happened, Lightning knew this man was powerful. If Fang was defeated by this man, then the entirety of Oerba and Gran Pulse was in danger. The redhead stirred only when Gamenern arrived, as if he was only just outside.

"Vanille!" Gamenern saw the girl in a fairly ragged state, and was at her side before she flash him a weak smile.

"I'm fine, really." She said tiredly, then went wide eyed. "Fang!"

Lightning placed her free hand on Vanille's shoulder, laying her back down. "Fang will be alright. I'm gonna kill whoever did this, okay?" Lightning nodded to Gamenern, then to Vanille, before charging out of the house.

xXxXx

Lightning soon had Gamenern following her. She never noticed him until they were at the pillar. Gamenern looked the entire structure up and down, then turned to Lightning. "You know something I don't?" He asked her, his axe slung over his right shoulder. Lightning half growled when she saw no way into it.

"He said to meet him here." She spoke through gritted teeth. Lightning tried to find a way to scale the structure, but it was much to slick to get good footing. Snarling in frustration, she hacked at the pillar several times, putting some small nicks into it.

Both l'Cie turned when they heard a scream of pain from a distance. Sharing a nod, they took off in the direction of the sound.

Both of them gasped when they reached the source of the sound. It was a small crater, maybe 100 yards in diameter, and about ten or twelve feet deep. In the middle of it, there were two people. One was kneeling on the ground, holding it's stomach in pain, while the other stood over the kneeling form smugly. This figure turned to the two watching l'Cie then chuckled.

"No…" Gamenern spoke, his voice going from it's normal soft to a growl. "Aalere!" He charged the man he thought was dead.

Aalere deflected Gamenern's charge, then took a defensive stance as the warrior began hacking at him with everything behind him. Some of the attacks were quite forceful, and put Aalere off balance at points. But the man was like smoke. He could be seen, but you could never sever it. It was impossible to catch.

Lightning ran to the other figure, Fang, immediately after Aalere attacked by Gamenern. Several Cure spells left Lightning's hands. While not as powerful as Hope's or Vanille's, they were able to numb the pain for the moment. Fang was panting heavily as she held her stomach, the focus of the assault by Aalere. Lightning was kneeling before Fang, focusing every ounce of energy she had into her Cures.

When Fang finally had enough strength to control her breathing, she looked up and saw Lightning before her. "Wha-what took you so-so long?" Fang panted. The injury to her stomach wasn't fully healed, and Lightning couldn't get a stronger spell off with her Medic abilities.

"I would never leave you." Lighting spoke, helping Fang to sit up. Fang groaned in pain as she shifted to a seated position. "You alright?"

Fang winced as Lightning moved Fang's shirt up to look at the injury. A large, black bruise covered the entire abdomen, causing extreme pain whenever Lightning touched it. "Must be some kind of dark magic." Lightning breathed, placing her hand firmly on Fang's torso. A sharp gasp of pain was heard. Lightning conjured the strongest Esuna spell she ever had before, hoping to extract the magic before it took hold in Fang's bloodstream.

Fang felt as if her insides were being torn out of her chest when Lightning's Esuna spell hit her. Her breathing once again became ragged, her eyes beginning to roll back into her head. Desperation ran through Light as she focused harder and harder on getting the black wound out of Fang.

The strain of this extended spell casting was beginning to make Lightning weary. Never in her time as a l'Cie had she ever sustained a single spell this long. The Esuna began to weaken as the wound was nearly extracted. In the lack of the Esuna spell, it began to grow, back to it's original size. Unable to hold the spell any longer, Lightning brought her hand from Fang's abdomen as she braced herself from falling forward in fatigue.

"Fang?" Lightning asked the warrior, who had keeled over and was drenched in sweat. Lightning's vision was blurry from the Esuna spell, and she couldn't make out any features on Fang's face. "Fang!" Lightning shook Fang, her voice spoken with more force. The Pulsian didn't respond.

"No…Fang!" Lightning yelled this at Fang. She shook the warrior by her shoulders again, this time much more forcibly. Still no response. Fang was deathly quiet. Lightning couldn't even hear Fang's breathing. Tears streamed down the soldier's face, holding Fang's lifeless body as close as possible. "No…You can't leave me…"

The sounds of the nearby battle broke into Lightning's conscious. Aalere was easily able to defend himself from Gamenern's onslaught, and was wearing the warrior out. Lightning caught sight caught Aalere and her world went red. A growl, bestial and full of rage, left Lightning's throat as she set Fang's body down lightly, her Blazefire in hand.

xXxXx

Unleashing a battle cry that rivaled Fang's, she charged Aalere, summoning Odin as she did so. The warrior Eidolon followed his master into battle, Zantetsuken behind him and his shield in front. Aalere wasn't prepared for a charge by Lightning, and was just able to dodge the pinkette's attack, only to get blasted by Odin's powerful Thundaga spell.

Gamenern followed Lightning, not aware of what caused Lightning's sudden lust for blood. The Ravager slashed quickly, pushing Aalere's defense backwards as Odin supported her with his magic and the occasional swing of Zantetsuken. The follower of Lindzei was desperately trying not to be defeated a second time. That wouldn't sit well with Lindzei.

In his desperation, Aalere called upon his ultimate ability, Flare. Charging the magic in his blade, it's flame danced vigorously, shooting several feet up into the air. Once it was at it's full power, he unleashed it at his biggest threat; Lightning.

While the soldier was too focused on Aalere to see his attack coming right at her, Odin was not. He blocked the attack with his shield, detonating on him. While Gamenern was unaware as to whether or not Eidolon's could feel pain, he sincerely hoped in this case that Odin could not. The knight's shield took a large portion of the powerful Flare, but it shattered under it's tremendous energy. Odin's left arm was taken off with it, torn off in a shower of mechanical body parts. Aalere shot another, slightly weaker Flare at the Eidolon, hitting it squarely in the stomach.

This time, the spell's explosion caused Odin to, for lack of a better word, disintegrated. Several green/black/yellow pieces of scrap feel to the ground around Lightning and Gamenern, only to fade away into withered rose petals a few seconds after they stopped. Gamenern saw a pained look in Lightning's eyes, as if she had felt what Odin had just experienced.

Before he could register that Aalere was still attacking, he felt a sharp pain in his gut. Aalere had somehow teleported directly in front of him to deliver a swift punch to Gamenern's gut. Lightning charged him as soon as he appeared, but she was caught by Aalere in mid-flight, before a Daze spell ran through her body, rendering her immobile for the moment.

"Pathetic." Aalere spoke, throwing Lightning towards Fang, causing her to land next to her lover's dead body. "You humans become emotionally attached to others. It serves as your greatest weakness." A mirthful laugh. "That is why you will now suffer the wrath of Lindzei."

"What do you want?" Gamenern spoke, still unaware of Fang's condition. "Why are you attacking us?" Aalere simple laughed more.

"My master created Cocoon long ago." Aalere started, his blade slung over his shoulder. "He created it to be destroyed. A sacrifice to the Gods so that the Maker could return. A way to free his Father and bring salvation to all!" Aalere paused as Gamenern shifted to possibly attack. A simple Daze spell caused the warrior to keel over.

"But, Lindzei didn't count on the amount of energy that creating Cocoon took from him. He fell into a crystal sleep, only to be awakened when someone from this world brings him back." Aalere smiled as he approached Lightning and Fang. "Now, I am one step closer to achieving that goal."

Gamenern strained as he tried to stand. "So…you are trying to s-summon Lindzei?" He asked, the Daze spell making him extremely weak. Aalere nodded, then grabbed Fang's body by her left arm, dragging her to the edge of the crater. Only now did Gamenern realize fully what had happened. "You son of a bitch…"

Aalere laughed wholeheartedly as he set Fang down by a large stone pedestal that he summoned. He picked Fang's body up and set it on the platform, before kneeling before it. "Master Lindzei, I have your chosen Sacrifice." Aalere spoke, which was followed by the pedestal glowing a bright white.

xXxXx

All ability to move was taken from Gamenern and Lightning. They were frozen to the spot, unable to move, as if they were encased in crystal from their necks down. Lightning's voice had escaped her as the glow engulfed Fang entirely, before all went white.

The pedestal had disappeared, but Fang's body floated as if it was still there. The wind whipped around her, sending her wild hard into every direction possible. Aalere stepped back, before his eyes went wide. "This cannot be!"

Behind where Fang floated, a white figure took shape. It stood taller than even Snow, dressed in white robes that flapped in the wind just like Fang's hair. "Impossible." Aalere spoke in disbelief. He watched as the form gathered details.

It was a woman, if the soft face and slender build was any indication. Once the wind had died down, she opened her eyes. They were soft, kind, caring blue orbs that seemed to settle the rage that had built in Gamenern's and Lightning's stomachs. At the same time, Aalere seemed scared senseless by the woman.

"You are Aalere?" She asked, her voice angelic and just as soft as her eyes. The man in question didn't respond. This woman smiled softly, then looked at Fang's still floating dead body. "How saddening. So young." She brushed the hair away from Fang's face, before looking up at Aalere. Her eyes now had a small amount of anger in them.

"I will only say this once." She spoke, stepping forward and phasing through Fang's body, now towering over Aalere, who was to scared to move. "Tell your master that I will not allow you to bring him back into this world." She placed her left hand on Aalere's head, which caused him to writhe in pain silently, before he disappeared in a small explosion of black flame.

The woman stood silently for a few moments, before turning to Lightning and Gamenern. Fear, among other things, was evident in their faces. "Do not fear me, children." She put her hand up as if to settle them. They relaxed slightly, before Lightning bolted straight for Fang's body, standing before it, her eyes starting to tear once more.

"Fear not, my child. Oerba Yun Fang is not truly dead." The woman spoke. Lightning gasped slightly, then turned to face her. "I am Etro. All who die must pass me before heading into the Invisible Realm." Lightning's eyes went wider than they were already. Gamenern stepped forward, standing next to Lightning.

"I must ask you to complete a task for me." Etro spoke, her voice calm and soothing. Gamenrn and Lightning nodded slightly. "My brother Lindzei wishes to return to this realm. If he does so, then another War of Transgression will break out, and I fear that I will not be able to intervene like I did 500 years ago." Again, Lightning and Gamenern nodded, somewhat confused and somewhat apprehensive.

"Aalere can only summon Lindzei into his own body now." Etro continued. "Fang was his second choice because she can become the beast Ragnarok." Etro motioned to Gamenern. "Your daughter can become Chaos, and so that was Lindzei's first choice." Then, Etro looked to Lightning.

"The only suitable host for Lindzei now is Aalere himself. But to do this, he'll need to merge with one of the seven Cie'th known as the Undying." Etro slowly began to radiate light as she finished. "My time here is short." She said. Lightning stepped forward.

"What about Fang?" She asked urgently, the tears in her eyes falling without restraint. "You said she wasn't truly dead. Does that mean she'll come back?" Lightning approached the Goddess, who smiled lightly.

"I ask that you kill these seven Undying. They are extremely powerful, and will require great strength." As Etro finished, she placed her hand on Fang's forehead. "You shall be gifted my greatest gift." After Etro removed her hand from Fang, she placed it on Lightning's shoulder.

A blinding light shone from Etro as she spoke the last words in this world. "I grant you the power to defend the ones you love." This was only heard by Lightning. She felt as if she was falling at a great speed. She could feel the wind whipping around her body, as if she was undressed.

When the light faded, Gamenern was left in utter shock. Lightning was no longer in her normal uniform. Now, she was donning a silver chest plate that covered a black shirt/vest that covered her abdomen. On her arms she had long, almost shoulder length black gloves. On her right arm, she now had a small, rounded shield, while her left arm had a metal gauntlet/bracer combo that went to her elbow. She wore a feather half-skirt, covering her right leg, going almost to the ground. She wore metal leggings that came up to the middle of her thigh. Her belt was made of a similar metal and had a large leather flap coming down from the middle.

While Lightning was trying to figure out what was with her new getup, she heard a small groan from behind her. It was weak and quiet, but with her acute hearing, she picked it up easily. Turning around, she could see Fang struggling to sit up right, her left hand covering her face as if she had a tremendous headache.

Lighting was at her side in an instant, Gamenern shortly in tow. Both of them gave Fang a small cure spell each, as Fang slowly readjusted her eyes to her surroundings. The first thing she saw was Lightning's tear filled eyes looking into her own. "What happened?" Fang asked groggily. Lightning embraced Fang in a tight hug, a soft sob escaping her lips.

"We thought you died." Gamenern said, a small smile gracing his face. Fang gave him a quizzical look. "Well, you did die." Fang cocked an eyebrow. Gamenern chuckled lightly. "The Goddess Etro brought you back and gave us a mission." Gamenern finished. Fang sighed, then slowly pried Lightning away.

"Look, Light, I wouldn't go down that easily." Fang spoke, wiping the tears away from the soldier's cheeks. "You know me. I'm too stubborn to die like that." Fang's attempt at a joke worked somewhat, because Lightning smiled weakly. Fang returned it, kissed the soldier lightly.

Gamenern stood up, looking towards the sky. The moon was starting to rise, and night was about to fall. "We need to get back to Oerba. I don't know about you two, but I'd rather not have to fight what I can't see." He said. Slowly, Lightning and Fang got to their feet, before setting off to the village. However, as they were starting off, Fang looked Lightning up and down. A grin formed on her face.

"I don't know about you, but I kinda like this new outfit, Light."

xXxXx

_In the realm where Lindzei lay dreaming, Aalere knelt before the stone pedestal to the god. Anger could be felt in the air, as Lindzei spoke silently to his servant. Well, silently to everyone but Aalere._

"_I know master. I would've succeeded this time had Etro not arrived." Aalere pleaded. From the face he gave, it was obvious that Lindzei did not accept the excuse._

"_I can still give you my body, Master. It may not be as powerful as those girls', but it will still grant you access to the Living Realm." The anger seemed to subside slightly in the air, as Lindzei took shape before Aalere. He appeared as a long, slender white serpent attached to the body of a human with no features, save for a face. Lidzei made Aalere stand on his feet._

"_Do not fail me this time, Aalere." Lindzei spoke, his voice laced with a venom unlike anything ever heard in the Living Realm ever. Aalere nodded weakly, then bowed._

"_I will not fail this time , Master."_

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><p><strong>*heavy sigh* That was bad. Ah, well, I'll let you guys judge that. Hopefully I can get going like normal soon.<br>**

**Anyway, R&R like always. I promise to defeat this writer's block. I've done it before. I'll do it again.  
><strong>


	9. Bituitus, the Pillager

_**Undying**_

**I'm back with Chapter 9 of Undying. Hmm, seems like my writer's block is fading. Hasn't gone away yet, but this chapter came out a little easier than the last two. Ha, guess I need to listen to my MP3 player while typing more often. :)**

**Anyway, this will be the start of the main focus of the story (the Undying, hence the name of the story). I'll try to keep them in line with whatever the game has as far as abilities and lore, but I will change some of it to match with the story. Each chapter should introduce a new Undying, so you're looking at a minimum of seven chapters. Most likely, though, there will be more.**

**Anyway, on with the story.**

**Word Count: 2913**

**Disclaimer: I don't own squat! Square Enix does, the lucky bastards...**

**Chapter 9: Bituitus, the Pillager  
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><p>The journey to Oerba didn't take as long as anticipated. Gamenern, Lightning, and Fang all gathered at Gamenern's house with the other l'Cie. After the battle at Lightning's place, it was clear that it wouldn't be lived in for a while.<p>

Before anyone could ask what happened, Gamenern spoke. "Aalere's back."

Everyone who hadn't seen the man in question earlier gaped at the statement. Sazh shook his head, then stepped forward. "That can't be. Haala killed him." He said, getting nods from Hope and Snow. Gamenern shook his head.

"We thought so too, but it seems Lindzei brought him back." Gamenern sat in a chair by the door, built from wood salvaged from his old bed at the orphanage. How the wood had managed to survive 500 years of rot and decay was beyond Pulse, but it did. "He was the one who kidnapped Fang. He was trying to sacrifice her so that Lindzei could return to our Realm." Gamenern continued, a small gasp escaping Vanille as he did.

"Before he could, Etro showed up." A large round of gasps this time as Lightning continued. "She stopped Aalere and gave me this armor." Lightning examined the garb confusedly as she saw several rather interesting gaps in coverage. "Modest must not be in her dictionary…" She spoke this mainly to herself, but of course, Fang heard it. The warrior gave a small snicker at the remark.

"So, that's it? Etro just showed up and made everything better?" Snow asked, just as confused as the rest of the l'Cie. Gamenern shook his head.

"No, she told us that Aalere now only has one option if he wants to bring back Lindzei." Everyone was looking at Gamenern intently as he spoke. "Etro told us to kill the seven Undying Cie'th so he can't merge with them and summon Lindzei."

The interested looks on the l'Cie's faces quickly went confused. "The what?" Hope asked, not quite sure of what the Undying were. Gamenern chuckled, then stood up.

"Didn't think you guys knew what the Undying were." He started, walking over to Penelo's room to ensure she was still asleep. When he saw she was, he turned to the l'Cie. "Legend says that the seven Undying were once great heroes of Gran Pulse. They were extremely powerful l'Cie, branded to fight against the early invasions of Cocoon." Again, everyone was looking at Gamenern, even Fang and Vanille. They weren't familiar with this legend.

"However, the l'Cie became drunk on their power. They not only failed their focus, but actually lead an assault on their fal'Cie. They destroyed the fal'Cie, and were cursed with Cie'th hood. But, unlike normal Cie'th, who eventually turn into a crystal of some state, the Undying are alive to this day, terrorizing whoever they deem unworthy." Gamenern then paused to see if the others were following. When no questions were asked, Gamenern continued.

"History says that the seven Undying are Bituitus, Geiseric, Mithridates, Syphax, Numidia, Zenobia, Attacus, and Vercingetorix. They are found in different parts of Gran Pulse, though some say that they were destroyed when the War ended." Gamenern finished by sitting down, letting the others take in the story.

Fang was the first to speak after a few moments. "What do you mean 'when the War ended'? How would you know? You were a crystal!" Fang seemed suspicious of what Gamenern was talking about. The others quickly agreed, realizing what Gamenern had said. The man in question just sighed.

"I've been looking through some of the Analects." He said, standing up and walking over to the large bookshelf in the room. He pulled out a large binder, at least 3 inches thick, crammed with papers with the Pulsian script covering them. He pulled out one that read "Undying" and set it down in front of Fang. "You see, I've been gathering these ever since we destroyed Orphan. I've been hoping that I can shed some light on what happened after the Shattering." He said, motioning to Fang and Vanille. Everyone else nodded.

"So, you've been looking into the history of Gran Pulse after the War?" Hope asked, looking at the page but not understanding a single word of it. Again, Gamenern nodded.

"There were some survivors of the War. From what I've been able to gather, everything was fine until about 200 year ago. Several fal'Cie came and branded whoever survived. That's why there are so many Cie'th wandering around. They were made by rogue fal'Cie." Everyone nodded as Gamenern turned to an page a little further towards the back.

"According to legends, The Undying are linked by some kind of bond. You have to kill them in a special order to defeat them all." He then leaned back into his chair, then looked outside. "Starting tonight's out of the question…" Lightning stood up after a moment.

"We'll start first thing in the morning." Lightning said, looking at everyone. "We can gather at Sazh's hanger and use his airship to get around." Everyone nodded in confirmation, and went their separate ways.

Once everyone was out of his house, Gamenern turned to the hallway. A groggy Penelo stood in the doorway, looking out to the man. "Daddy?" She asked, sleep heavy in her voice. Gamenern chuckled lightly as he walked over and scooped his daughter up into his arms.

"Hey there." He said as she buried her face into his neck. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" He turned to the clock on the wall. _12:31_ it read. "It's past midnight." He seemed amused.

"I heard talking." She said, muffled by speaking into Gamenern's neck. For a four year old, Penelo was quite intelligent and well spoken. She reminded Gamenern of a young Vanille at times. Gamenern chuckled nervously, walking into Penelo's room to set her back down on the bed.

"Sorry about that." He said, prying her arms from his neck. "You sleep well, alright. Daddy's gotta go on a trip tomorrow, so you'll be staying with Miss Lebreau until I get back, okay?" He spoke, grabbing her small blanket and pulling it up to Penelo's neck.

"Okay…" Penelo dragged the word out as she let out a long yawn. Gamenern smiled, placing a light kiss on her forehead before she drifted to sleep. As he stepped out of the room, Gamenern let out a long sigh.

"Goodbye…"

xXxXx

The group gathered at Sazh's hanger at around 7 am. The sun was still trying to peek over the mountains in the east and cast a gray hue over the small town, mixing with the fog chilling the air. It was a normal morning for Oerba, save for the small preparation being made by the l'Cie.

Several Potions, Antidotes and other medicines were being brought along, including the salve that Vanille had made when Gamenern was injured. They were going up against old dark magic and would need any edge they could get. Also being brought along was three weeks food and a GPS transponder in case they got deserted somewhere far away.

They would be using Sazh's fastest ship, the _Trickster_, to get around to the locations of their targets. According to Gamenern, the first of the Undying, and the weakest, was Bituitus, and he would be their first target. They would need to go to the Ruins of Paddra, the city he was from in his human life.

The flight to Paddra was not long. It took maybe 45 minutes to get there, and when they did, they landed just outside the large city. What was left of it, anyway.

It looked as though some kind of bomb had gone off in the once majestic city. Buildings were crumbling. Roads were torn asunder. Light poles were strewn across the wreck. Whatever happened here was much worse than the l'Cie had ever seen done.

Gamenern noticed a large group of Cie'th gathering in a large courtyard. He motioned to the group, and the l'Cie slowly approached the monsters.

They were formidable for common Cie'th. Some of them were quite unusual, resembling the monsters of Gran Pulse. It wasn't unheard of to see fal'Cie brand monsters, but it usually was only if the fal'Cie was desperate. Maybe there were some monsters in Paddra when the fal'Cie rampaged across the land?

Once they were all slain, the Cie'ths' bodies began to glow an eerie white. "Watch yourself!" Lightning shouted, taking a defensive stance, followed by everyone else. The bodies began to rise, closing in on each other as they got higher.

Then, a piercing screech rung out. A winged Cie'th came flying in, stopping in the middle of the rising bodies, before a white glow filled the area.

From it's source, Bituitus flew, looking down on the l'Cie. With a goofy smile on her lips, Fang charged the creature, followed by an annoyed Lightning.

Bituitus dodged the attack by flying to his right, then charged Lightning. The soldier was able to deflect the attack, but was knocked off balance and landed on her back. Serah and Hope both began to bombard the Cie'th with various spells, from elemental barrages to Ruin spells, dragging the Cie'th's attention to them. Snow was guarding them, his Steelguard ready to protect the weaker members of the group.

Gamenern was already charging the winged beast, his axe high above his head. He was able to cut off one of Bituitus's left wings, but it grew back before Gamenern was able to continue his offensive. Fang and Lightning both followed him in their attack, each of them getting dodged or deflected.

Gamenern disengaged and began lobbing Ruin spells at the Cie'th, which seemed to at least make contact with it. Soon after, Sazh, Lightning, Fang and Serah were doing the same, while Hope and Vanille worked on trying to weaken the monster and Snow was protecting everyone else.

When he started to become weakened from the onslaught of his enemies, Bituitus charged his Wing Shear attack, unleashing eight blades of wind from his wings. They hit the l'Cie directly, bringing Hope, Serah and Sazh to their knees. Seeing an opening, the Cie'th went after Serah at full speed. He flew past Snow before he could react, and did an aerial back flip, sending the girl flying high into the air.

"Serah!" Snow called, jumping after the Undying. Unfortunately, it was faster than him, and maneuvered itself behind him, hitting him with his bladed wings, before slamming him back down to the ground with a thud. After taking care of Snow, Bituitus continued it's assault on Serah, spinning and charging her, hitting her several times. A sharp cry of pain left Serah's lips as the wings, charged with thunder magic, tore at her skin. He followed this up with a spray of Miasma, before allowing Serah's limp form to crash to the ground.

Hope and Vanille both rushed to the girl's side before she finished her descent, extracting the ailments and healing the wounds she had suffered. Moving her away from the fight, the two medics motioned for the others to keep fighting. Sazh shot the beast to get it's attention, then prepared his own Steelguard to endure the Cie'th's new, much more powerful attacks. Snow charged in after the Cie'th finished it's assault on Sazh, several punches pushing the monster backwards some.

Gamenern gave Sazh some Curasa spells as he went in to assault Bituitus. His axe behind him, Gamenern brought it upwards, taking off all three of Bituitus's right wings, which was followed by Fang doing the same to the left wings. Clipped of his ability to fly, Bituitus landed on his thin legs, charging a powerful Levinbolt spell, intent on unleashing it upon his foes. Lightning shot it several times in conjunction with Sazh, stunning the beast, as Gamenern, Fang and Snow all sent the wingless Cie'th skyward.

As soon as he hit the air, Bituitus healed the damage to his wings, bringing an exasperated sigh to Sazh. "Oh, come on…" He said, enhancing his allies with whatever spells he could muster. Lightning aided Sazh as Gamenern and Fang threw any manner of debuff they could get to stick on the beast. While they were weakening Bituitus, they were not slowing him down. His Levinbolt spell was unleashed as he regained his countenance, sending several bolts of electricity to the l'Cie, softened by Sazh's Barthunder, but still dealing a good amount of damage.

However, Gamenern was ready for this. As soon as the spell hit him, he sent a small Cure spell his way, then leaped skyward, obviously catching the Cie'th off guard. "End of the road!" He yelled, bringing his axe downward as hard as he could, sending the Cie'th crashing to the ground, a small crater forming around his impact sight. With a roar, Fang followed up with her Highwind attack, impaling the Cie'th in what could be seen as his heart. As she jumped away, three Ruinga spells, courtesy of Lightning, Sazh and Snow, exploded where his body lay, sending a large cloud of dirt into the air.

When the dust settled, Bituitus was still flying, but he was now glowing red. Writhing in pain, he flew in random directions, no longer focusing on the l'Cie. He flew directly at a large circle of small Cie'th stones, before becoming encased inside a crystal cocoon. Once he did not reemerge, the l'Cie relaxed, before Snow and Lightning sprinted to Serah.

She was conscious, a little worse for wear but otherwise fine. Vanille and Hope were still trying to extract some of the ailments, but for the most part, she was healthy. Snow brought her into a tight embrace, followed by Lightning when he finally released her. "Don't ever scare me like that…" Light said, relief and sadness in her voice. Serah smiled weakly, then turned to Gamenern, followed by the others.

"So, what's the verdict? We kill that thing or what?" Sazh asked, motioning back to the crystal that was created by Bituitus. Gamenern shrugged.

"Dunno. I heard that when they die, their essence collects in a single spot." Gamenern sighed as he turned to the sky. "Still, there are six more, and they're only going to get tougher. You guys sure you're up for it?" He looked at the others, motioning to Serah, who was slightly dizzy from her ordeal.

"We have to be." Hope said, approaching Gamenern and nodding. "If we don't, then Aalere can bring Lindzei back, and that would mean the end of everything. Cocoon, Gran Pulse, everything will be destroyed." He received nods from the others.

"So…" Snow asked, punching his open hand as he spoke. "Which one of these bastards is next?" Gamenern nodded, then turned to the airship.

"Geiseric. He can be found in the Steppe, if I remember right." He waved the others over, before sprinting into the airship. He was followed by the others, Fang and Lightning at the end of the line.

xXxXx

"If this was the weakest of these guys…" Fang said softly, her gaze on Serah as they followed the group, "Then what is the strongest of them like? How much power would he have?" Lightning sighed heavily as they rounded a corner, arriving in the courtyard they had landed the airship in.

"I was wondering that myself." Lightning spoke, her voice low and extremely concerned. "This is just like when we were l'Cie. We don't have the time limit like last time, but we're going up against monsters that even fal'Cie fear. What if…What if we don't succeed?" Lightning turned to Fang, looking deep into her emerald eyes. "What if we die trying to stop this?" Fang shook her head, bringing Light into a loose hug.

"That won't happen." She said, placing a light kiss on Light's temple. "The Goddess herself handpicked us. Hell, she brought me back to life just so we could do this. What makes you think we'd die trying?" Fang finished this with a short chuckle, though it wasn't returned by Light.

"I almost lost Serah just now." Light's voice now reflected her inner emotions. It was shaking, full of sorrow. Fang only tightened the hug. "I don't know if I could take that." It sounded as if Lightning was about to break down crying. Fang stroked Light's pink locks, trying to soothe the soldier.

"You won't have to worry about that. I'll make sure of it." Fang spoke in a soothing tone, still holding the soldier close. Fang felt more than saw the nod of confirmation. She could hear a few soft sobs coming from Lightning as she held her, still stroking her hair with her right hand.

"Um, Light, Fang, you two alright?" Hope asked in a concerned voice. Fang looked at the boy, a small smile on her face, hoping to convince the boy there wasn't anything wrong.

"Yeah, we're fine." Fang said, pulling away from Light but keeping the woman facing away from Hope. She wouldn't let anyone else see Lightning in this state. "We'll be there in a minute, 'kay Hope?" She said, motioning to the airship. Hope stood perplexed for a minute, then nodded, running off towards the ship.

Once he was gone, Lightning sighed. "Thanks, Fang." Her voice still held some of the shakiness from earlier, but was much steadier than it was. Fang smiled lightly, leaning over and pecking Light on the lips.

The two walked in silence to the airship, getting on just a few seconds before Sazh took off, headed for their next goal, the Archylte Steppe.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, Chapter 9 complete. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon. Got a pretty full week ahead of me. My sister is headed up to a cousin's for a month, and I gotta go through a lot of PT this week. Shouldn't be too long to the next update, but I will be somewhat distracted for a little while.<strong>

**R&R like always! See you guys later!**


	10. Geiseric, the Profane

**_Undying_**

**Well, here you go. Chapter 10. I don't think my writer's block was the reason this one took so long. More so, I think it was the fact that I've always wiped the floor with Geiseric. I've even used my newest game, weakest equipment, and simple paradigms and still have yet to actually see more than his Percussive Blow. Meh, guess I'm just lucky like that.**

**Anyway, here you go. Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3248**

**Disclaimer: SE owns the Final Fantasy franchise and all characters therein. As for me, I guess I own Gamenern. Oh well...  
><strong>

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><p>The group had flown into the Archylte Steppe only a few minutes after departing Paddra. Understanding that the constant fighting could wear them out, especially after the fight with Bituitus, the group took a reprieve in what Vanille called 'The Font of Namva', a home to many of the chocobo flocks on Gran Pulse. It was quiet area that served as a nice spot for a picnic.<p>

After setting a fairly large area to enjoy their lunch, Gamenern pulled out a large slab of behemoth meat he had bought before heading out. He started a fire in a small pit, fueled by the many twigs and branches gathered by the group's younger members. Fang was busy taking care of the Saghin that were known to hang out here, Lightning and Snow helping her. Sazh and Serah were helping Gamenern set up the eating arrangements as the food cooked.

A few minutes later, and the area was clear, save for the chocobos and the l'Cie. The chocobo chick (though a little bigger than the last time they came through Pulse, it was still small enough to burrow into Sazh's afro) had started socializing with some of the flock, greatly amusing Vanille and Serah. The meat had been cooking slowly, leaving plenty of time to talk about everything and nothing.

There was a look in Fang's eyes that put Lightning off. It wasn't a sickly look, like when a person is ill, or a surprised look. No, it was a sly look, one that Fang seemed to have naturally when it came to just about anything. She was currently looking between Hope and Vanille, who were chatting (or trying to, in Hope's case) with the chocobo chick and the other chocobos that had gathered around.

"Fang, what are you thinking of saying?" Lightning asked from behind the warrior. Fang's smile matched her look as she turned away from the two younger members of the group to wink at Lightning. "Oh, great…"

"Hey, Vanille?" Fang asked, turning to the redhead as she finished speaking. Vanille looked up and turned around, slightly confused.

"Yeah?" She asked, still trying to listen to what Hope was trying to tell the chocobos. She tilted her head in confusion at Fang's smirk. She also saw Lightning trying to say sorry with her eyes, and knew then that Fang was going to be asking something odd.

"You dating Hope?" Fang said bluntly, barely able to hold in her laughter. The words got several reactions from several people.

Snow and Sazh about choked on their water after hearing what Fang said. Serah, who at first gave a small gasp of surprise, went to tending to the men as they tried to recover. Gamenern turned his head fairly quickly, somehow not giving himself whiplash. "That was…unexpected…" He said silently, cocking an eyebrow at his clansman.

Lightning would've face palmed had she not been in front of the rest of the l'Cie. The chocobo chick, who was chirping what Hope was saying to the other chocobos, paused to look at Fang, a look of surprise on it's face. But, the priceless reactions were on the two in question.

Vanille's face was easily several shades darker than her hair as Fang finished. Her eyes were as wide as they could've gone, and even then it wasn't enough to portray her shock and embarrassment. Her mouth was open, half a gasp leaving her lips before she lost her voice.

Hope didn't fare as well. As soon as the words hit his ears, he became several shades darker than Vanille. Before, he was squatting, his knees brought up to his chest, as he talked to the chocobo. Now, however, he lost his balance and fell over onto his side, before scrambling back up to a seated position, several feet away from his original spot.

For several moments, no one spoke. The only sounds in the air were from the nearby waterfall, the squawking of the chocobos, and the popping of the fire. That lasted until Fang burst out laughing. This time, Lightning did face palm, shaking her head in her hand as she did. "Fang, you're an idiot." She spoke under her breath, barely audible to even herself over Fang's raucous laughter.

Vanille immediately regained her voice. Well, some of it. "Wha-what makes you say th-that?" She managed to get out before her embarrassment got the upper hand again. Fang had barely stopped laughing as she sat up, trying to speak once more. However, she couldn't get herself together and continued laughing.

"I think she's referring to the reception." Gamenern said, his gaze once again on the fire. He hadn't needed to look in Vanille's direction to see she was flustered to the most extreme Fang had ever been able to do. He couldn't hide the grin as it found it's way to his face.

Vanille's eyes, if physically possible, got wider. "That? Th-that was nothing." She was barely able to get the words together. Hope simply nodded in agreement. Fang didn't seem convinced at the words though.

"Oh really?" Fang asked, still fighting her laughter. "Then explain why poor Hope here was blushing, kinda like he is now, after that first dance?" Gaining some control over her laughs, Fang was able to sit upright.

"That's not what you think!" Hope spoke up, standing up as if it would emphasize his words. All it did was make him look like a fool, because not two seconds after he stood up, he tripped over a small rock and fell flat on his face. Actually, it wasn't his face, but he fell right onto Vanille. When the two finished their crash, Hope, who had stuck his hands out to catch himself, was on top of Vanille, looking straight up at him, a mere few inches away, his hands just above her shoulders.

Fang fell into another laughing fit as Hope scurried off of Vanille, his face instantly becoming several shades darker than before. He now looked like an apple with a face and silver hair, and was now on the verge of hyperventilating. Vanille had yet to sit up, still shocked and embarrassed. Her face was slowly getting closer to matching Hope's blush.

Even Gamenern chuckled at what had transpired. He stood up, walking over to the youngest Pulsian and held his hand out to help her up. "Well, let's hear it." He said as he pulled Vanille to her feet. "Are you dating Hope?" He asked again, this time with a little bit more calmness and maturity than Fang did earlier. Vanille still kept her shade of red, though she was able to speak.

"Nothing happened." She said, her eyes trying very hard not to make contact with anyone's. She let out a short sigh. "All we did was dance." Though she spoke with firm resolve, Gamenern still cocked an eyebrow. The girl took note and pouted. "What?"

"Fang was right, you know? Hope was blushing just as bad as he is now." He pointed in Hope's direction, noting that he had yet to regain his normal skin tone. "So, what _really_ happened?" He asked, this time in a teasing tone. Vanille swallowed, her gaze now focusing on the ground, which became really interesting suddenly.

"So maybe I gave him a kiss…" Fang's laughs multiplied tenfold. Vanille looked at her, trying her best to look angry but failing horribly. "It was on his cheek!" She said, irritation in her voice. Gamenern just patted her back lightly.

"What's there to be embarrassed about, Vanille?" He asked, looking over to Hope, who was now swaying, the blood pooling in his head making him dizzy. "So you like Hope? Big fricking deal." He then looked over at Lightning and Fang, taking a minute to think. "Just do us all a favor?" He asked, looking back at Vanille. "Don't end up like those two over there." He motioned back to Fang and Lightning.

Fang's laughter was replaced by an irritated yell, the sound of gunfire, and Serah yelling, "Claire!"

xXxXx

After the tumultuous lunch was completed, the l'Cie headed towards their next quarry, Geiseric. Gamenern warned that the Cie'th was extremely large and was to be dealt with carefully. Still, Fang couldn't hide her excitement as they took off in the direction of the Undying on the back of a few wild chocobos. Being that there was only 5 sets of Gyshal Reins in Gamenern's bags, there was going to be a few people sharing chocobos. Sazh was given his own, as was Gamenern. Serah saddled up with Snow, not too sure about riding on the back of a wild chocobo. Lightning was forced to ride with Fang, much to the soldier's embarrassment, which left Vanille and Hope (who was still somewhat dizzy) to share the last pair or reins.

Almost instantly, Fang, who was controlling her chocobo, took off, forcing Lightning to grip to the warrior's waist in an effort to stay on the back of the bird. Fang did her best to hold back the amused chuckle she had, and failed horribly.

"Shut up, Fang…" Lightning growled under her breath. Fang simply pecked the soldier before gaining more speed.

Gamenern followed behind the two closely, his bird matching the leading one's speed step for step. Behind him, Sazh matched pace with Hope and Vanille, who were followed by Serah and Snow, Serah gingerly leading the chocobo with the reins. It took very little time for the group to arrive at their destination.

Geiseric wasn't in sight, but there was no denying that this was his domain. Several Taxim Cie'th wandered the area, pushing back any local wildlife. Their chocobos refused to go any further, though they did gather at a small pond a few hundred feet away from the entrance to the small plateau that was covered in their targets.

Gamenern guessed that, like Bituitus, that Geiseric would only come out once all of his minions were killed. So, splitting up like last time, they took care of all of their enemies in a very short time. Afterwards, they all regrouped in the center of the plateau.

After a few minutes of waiting, Gamenern sighed. "Guess we need to do something else?" He seemed confused and annoyed. Sazh sighed, stretching and walking over to the ledge to think. His thoughts were interrupted when a large, crystal covered blue hand reached up. The pilot fell over and scurried back, bringing the attention to himself and this large Cie'th.

xXxXx

"That's him!" Gamenern shouted, helping the cowering Sazh off the ground and drawing his axe. He took up a battle stance, as did the others, as Geiseric came into full view, roaring loud enough to shake the ground. He then brought his large left arm up to crush his current target, Hope, whom he deemed to be the weakest of the group.

It took a combined effort of Snow, Sazh, Fang and even Vanille, all of whom put up a Steelguard and stood in front of Hope, to endure the blow, and even then, in caused the sentinels to be pushed into the ground as if they were nails being hammered into a two by four. Lightning, Serah and Gamenern began their offensive, soon joined by Hope, trying to get the indomitable Cie'th off of the guarding sentinels.

Vanille wasn't built for sentinel duty, as her small frame showed, but she knew that, despite the abilities of Fang, Snow and Sazh, the monster's fist was much to much for them, so she did what she needed to. Now, she was beginning to regret that decision. Her inexperienced Steelguard was beginning to falter as the Cie'th put even more pressure on the already straining group.

Hope and Gamenern both caught sight of the girl's pained expression, and began supporting her with whatever enhancements that they could give her. At the same time, Serah and Lightning continued their assault on Geiseric, who was seemingly unfazed by the Farron sisters. He continued to push on the four defenders.

Vanille couldn't hold her Steelguard any longer. It fell, and with it Geiseric was able to make his move. He took his right arm and clubbed the three remaining sentinels, sending them flying away to crash against a large boulder, their Steelguards absorbing the blow, but fading on impact. All three were doubled over, but Vanille had yet to move away, still drained from the defense.

Geiseric's left arm came up again, this time with out four sentinels to stop it. He began to bring it down on the collapsed girl. Fang could only watch in horror, still clutching her stomach. She cursed her pain, and how it numbed her limbs. "Vanille, move!" Fang cried, but it wasn't soon enough.

The blow never hit Vanille. There, standing over her, straining to hold an Entrench guard, was Hope. "Go…move…now..!" Hope spoke through his gritting teeth. Damn, this Cie'th was strong. Hope was already feeling drained from the fist. Vanille didn't move, somewhat from awe, somewhat from pride.

"No, I'll help you." She said, trying to get onto her feet but her legs were like jelly. She collapsed again as Hope made a sound that sounded almost like a frustrated growl. He tried to push back but it wasn't working. The fist was still pushing down.

Gamenern ran through and scooped Vanille up, taking her to relative safety as Hope smirked through gritted teeth. 'Good.' He thought. 'She'll be alright.' He was feeling his defense breaking. He wasn't afraid anymore. He was ready. Geiseric pushed down once more…

xXxXx

"Ultima!" Serah yelled, her ultimate spell unleashing itself from her hands and flying to the towering Cie'th with a vengeance. It hit the large monster's back, exploding with a bright array of colors, pushing the Cie'th forward from surprise.

When the dust cleared, Gamenern came running out with Hope in his arms. The boy was nearly passed out, barely even registering what had happened. A few Cure spells later, and he was sitting up. A piercing cry kept him from voicing his thanks, as Geiseric turned to the l'Cie, thoroughly pissed at them. Fang smirked.

"You want some?" She taunted, her arm coming up in a rude gesture. Lightning rolled her eyes. The Cie'th didn't take kindly to the insult and leaped into the air, landing with such a shockwave that it caused the l'Cie to stagger in various directions, before Geiseric again brought his large fist down.

This time, the l'Cie were able to avoid the attack, not needing to defend against it. Fang jumped forward as soon as she landed, going for the Cie'th's large left arm, hitting hit with anything she could think of. Flamestrike, swing, Ruin, Aerora, Deprotect, Thunder, Blitz. She unloaded with the other l'Cie supporting her, particularly Lightning, who was hacking away at the arm with her Army of One attack pattern.

Surprisingly, while attacks again Geiseric's body had enjoyed little luck, the onslaught on his arm was very effective. After finishing up with a mighty Highwind attack, Fang watched in triumph as the arm shattered, broken and useless. Geiseric howled in pain, bringing the appendage to his body, as a person would hold a broken arm. Gamenern saw his opening and unleashed a vicious Firaga spell onto the beast, engulfing it and allowing for Snow's uppercut to send it flying airborne, followed by Lightning, Fang, Gamenern and Snow, each of them hacking and slashing wherever they could.

Hope, Vanille and Serah were lobbing Ruin spells at the beast, each of their spells hitting the beast and causing part of the blue crystal skin to chip away. Sazh was shooting the Cie'th as well, each bullet exploding on impact, causing more crystal shards to rain down onto the battlefield. Other than the sounds of crystal breaking and the grunts of the warriors, Geiseric's howls of pain rung out through the steppes.

With one final battle cry, Fang brought her spear through Geiseric's midsection with a powerful Highwind, exploding as it combined with Serah's Ultima after Fang jumped away, giving the spell ample room to work. Another howl of pain was heard as the monster was sent upwards by the spell's explosion, and somehow, the monster was able to land on his feet, staggered but standing up.

Everyone was prepared to launch at him again if he was going to attack, but, with a final roar, the Cie'th fell backwards, crashing to the ground dead. A white light shone from his chest, where a red circle rest, and engulfed the Cie'th, causing it to fade away. With the Cie'th gone, the small white light shot into the air, before becoming a small Cie'th stone, which came crashing to the ground with a small thud.

xXxXx

"Huh?" Vanille walked over to the small Cie'th stone, which was maybe the size of her head at best, and picked it up. She looked at it funny before Gamenern took it from her. "Hey!"

"Let's take a look…" The male Pulsian looked the stone over and smiled when he found what he needed. Putting his hand over the spot just behind the stone's 'head' and holding it up, it glowed grey before a small green screen appeared in front of it. Gamenern let the stone go, now floating in the air, as he read the Pulsian scrawl that appeared silently.

Lightning was looking at the script, though she couldn't tell you what it actually said. What she could tell you was it read like this:

_A, kono hisan'na michi o ayumu gata._

_Yaban'na kobushi ga yowai no hasaina_

_Botoku no yobidashi o, ryui shite kudasai._

_Anata no kyujo wa mukui rarezu ni owaru koto wa arimasen._

_Idaina kozan no dokutsu no kiba ga niku o_

_Hikisaku mono fakusu no kandakai _

_Yobidashi o, motomete iru._

For those who couldn't read Pulsian, Fang was able to translate.

"Oh, ye who walk this dire path

Heed the call of The Profane

Who's savage fist crushes the weak.

Your plight does not go unrewarded.

Seek the screeching call of Syphax,

Who's fangs rend the flesh

In the cave of the great mines."

A few moments of silence were passed before Sazh said, "Okay, what does that mean?"

Gamenern laughed. "It's a Pulsian Riddle." He said, looking to the others. "You see, Pulsian Riddles are usually projected from these little Cie'th stones, called 'Cie'th' Markers." He motioned to the floating Cie'th stone that was still projecting the riddle. "They are meant to test treasure hunters and Cie'th hunters in wits." Gamenern sighed. "The riddle is the location of our next target, Syphax."

After looking it over, Lightning asked, "What did the last line say?"

"In the cave of the great mines." Vanille said, looking at the riddle with a puzzled look. Other than Fang, Vanille, Gamenern and, to a small extent, Lightning, everyone was looking at gibberish.

"Where's the 'translate to Cocoon' button when you need it?" Snow said, sitting on the ground. "Still, 'In the cave of the great mines' makes no sense. Aren't mines usually inside caves?" A few nods.

"Mah'habara!" Hope said suddenly. "Maybe it means Mah'habara. They were mines at one point, right?" He looked at Vanille, who nodded excitedly. "And they have plenty of caves." Everyone nodded again.

"So, off to Mah'habara we go, huh?" Sazh said, shaking his head. "Great, more dungeon crawling. I thought we outgrew that…" His complaints trailed off into nothing as the group headed back to the airship with a next goal in mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, there you guys go. Before you ask, I'll explain a few things. One, I needed to put some humor into this, ergo the scene in the Font of Namva. Secondly, I know the Pulsian language in game is the same as Cocoon, but that didn't seem foreign, at least to me. So, I just put the Riddle through a translator and made it into Japanese, took out the accents and viola! My form of Pulsian.<strong>

**Well, R&R like normal. Till next time!  
><strong>


	11. Syphax, the Insidious

**_Undying_**

**I'm not dead, guys! I'm back, with Chapter 11 if _Undying_. Hope it can tide you guys over for now.**

**Anyway, R7R and enjoy!**

**Word Count: 2659**

**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns the rights and priveliges to Final Fantasy XIII, as well as the characters therein. I own a copy of the game though. Does that count?... Didn't think so...**

**Chapter 11: Syphax, the Insidious  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The flight to Mah'habara was uneventful for Lightning. She was sitting on the edge of a fairly comfortable couch, Fang resting next to her, sleeping lightly. Vanille was still recovering from her injuries while Serah helped her. Lightning herself was finding it hard to stay awake, the last fight with Geiseric leaving her particularly drained.<p>

However, the guys were chatting up a storm. They had gathered in the fairly large cockpit of the ship, talking about the past fight. They were able to laugh about it now, but at the time it wasn't so easily dismissed.

After a short conversation, Hope and Snow moved towards the back of the airship, seating themselves at a small table mounted to the floor. Snow looked up and sighed heavily. He was exhausted. He cast a sideways glace at Hope, who was watching Vanille carefully, as if checking her for any injuries.

"So, see you've found yourself a girlfriend." Snow joked, his voice low enough to not be heard by the women. Hope jumped at first, but relaxed after a second. He saw no point in hiding it now. "Hey, I'm happy for ya, Hope. I mean, Vanille's a nice kid. And you obviously care for her." Snow pointed out, and Hope nodded.

"Yeah, but, I'm not old enough. I'm 15, and she's what, 18, 19?" Hope shook his head. "I like her. I really do. It's just that we're to far apart, age wise." Hope felt Snow's hand grip his shoulder.

"Don't worry about that. When the time comes for you to make your move, you'll know." Snow smiled goofily at Hope. "Just be patient. It'll work out." Hope returned the smile and nodded. As he did, Gamenern approached them.

"Sazh is gonna land us in the Springs and we'll take Atomos inside the mines." He then looked back towards a shelf. "From what I've read from the Analects, Syphax is known to hide deep inside the caves. I've been looking at historic and modern maps of the place, and only one area has stayed the same the entire time. We'll try there first." Snow nodded when the Pulsian finished, then looked over to the women.

"Hm, seems almost a shame to have to wake them up, huh?" Snow remarked. Lightning had succumbed to her sleep, resting her head on Fang's, which was resting on Light's shoulder. They seemed to share breaths. Each time Light would inhale, so would Fang. And they would exhale at the same time, silent and soft. It was almost cute. Almost.

"So, um, I don't know about you, but I ain't gonna be the one to wake those two up." Snow continued, walking towards the cockpit. "I like my head on my shoulders, thank you." Hope and Gamenern agreed, then followed him to the front. Vanille pouted.

"Big wimps, I tell ya…" She sighed, turning to face the sleeping couple. "Hey, wake up. We're almost there." It didn't take much to wake the pair. Lightning seemed only half asleep, and Fang was just barely from deep sleep, so they woke without much coercing. "Hi!" Vanille waved madly at the pair. Fang cocked an eyebrow.

"Cause that's the first thing I wanna see after wakin' up…" She muttered, removing her head from Light's shoulder to stretch. Lightning did the same, and when they stood up, Sazh landed the ship, fairly roughly.

"Sorry!" They heard Gamenern yell through the door closing the room off. Lightning shook her head and grabbed her Blazefire.

xXxXx

The group had a fairly cramped ride on Atomos. Before, only six people had to ride on the fal'Cie, and even then it was a tight fit. With eight people now trying to cram into the small space, it was safe to say that the ride was anything but comfortable. But they made it to Mah'habara without any other problems.

Gamenern took the lead, taking them to the deepest part of the mines. It was the only place that had remained untouched over the last 500 years, so Gamenern had guessed that it was as good a place to start as any.

The few rust pudding they had to fight were not a problem, though it seemed that Fang and Lightning were having a silent competition between the two of them to see who could kill the most. When Gamenern seemed slightly amused by the whole event, Vanille filled him in on what had happened when they were looking for ingredients for the salve. Gamenern chuckled, knowing that Fang was always fiercely competitive.

When the group heard a noise that wasn't the sound of shuffling goop, it caught their attention. Instantly, Fang and Lightning were at the ready, weapons drawn and aimed at the source. Gamenern approached it slowly, noticing the sound getting louder. It sounded like metal clanging on the ground, as if something was messing with a pile of junk.

Gamenern nodded, then shot around the corner. The action was followed by a shriek and the sound of a lot of metal crashing to the ground. "Maqui? What are you doing here?" Gamenern shot, picking the kid off the ground and putting his axe on his back. The others also sheathed their weapons, Snow and Serah stepping forward.

"I was here trying to rebuild a few control panels." He said, pointing at what he was working on. "I mean, some of this stuff needed to be controlled 500 years ago, right? So, I figured that if I could get at least one of these control panels working, we could start using some of Pulse's machinery to aid the army or go to places that people can't normally go." He paused, then looked at the man. "What are you doing here?"

"We're hunting a Cie'th that lives here." Snow spoke, motioning to the back of the caves. "It's not something you guys can get involved in, though. These guys are tough." Snow then nodded to the small blond. "Why don't you head back to Oerba for now? We'll stop by after we finish up here." Maqui nodded slightly, then gathered his equipment and ran off to the exit.

xXxXx

The group arrived at the end of a long corridor that looked like a small warehouse. Normally, theses large stables house either Juggernauts and Tyrants, but this one seemed empty and abandoned. Sazh sighed.

"Why can't they just tell you to 'go here, kill the monster, go to next one'?" He ranted, sitting down on a fallen column. Everyone chuckled, though some of them were tired. Gamenern sighed heavily, deep in thought.

That was when Hope saw something fluttering in the air, just behind one of the lights. It wasn't very large, but it looked like some of the Chonchon Cie'th that fly around Taejin's Tower. He only saw it for a few seconds before it hid again.

"Hey, Gamenern, what did you say Syphax looked like?" Hope asked, still looking at where the flying thing was. Gamenern quirked an eyebrow, then nodded.

"He's supposed to look like the Chonchons in Taejin's Tower. Why?" Gamenern followed Hope's line of sight and nodded. "He's here, alright." He concluded, drawing his axe.

Suddenly, several bat-like Cie'th came from practically nowhere to charge the group. Vanille shrieked as she saw the horde, jumping back and crawling away, trying to get away. Fang and Lightning instantly ran in, Blitzing the swarm before they could hurt the girl. Hope, Snow and Serah and all gathered around Vanille, while Sazh ran to join Gamenern in aiding Fang and Lightning.

Just as soon as they destroyed the first wave, a second swarm of Cie'th came after them. "These must be the Numidia that Syphax controls!" Gamenern yelled to the group. "Kill all of these and Syphax will have to face us." The group then began the process of destroying the several flying Numidia that came after them.

Once the second swarm was killed, the l'Cie let their guard down for only a few seconds. That was all that was needed. More Numidia came from nowhere, this time aided by a larger one that had a tail. This was most likely Syphax, their leader and the strongest of these winged Cie'th.

The beasts saw Snow, Hope, Serah and Vanille huddled in a tight group and went after them. Two Mediguard defenses went up at Snow and Vanille's discretion, while Hope and Serah settled into an Entrench guard, their only reliable source of defense, but they knew this was going to hurt, a lot.

The swarm engulfed the four, surrounding them and trying to rip their skin. As soon as he saw an opening, Hope unleashed his Last Resort, pushing several of the Numidia back, but barely affecting Syphax. Fortunately, as soon as they were free, the three other l'Cie were able to counterattack, pushing them back with magic.

Gamenern lunged straight at Syphax, hacking at the bat-like Cie'th, but the monster dodged. "Focus on Syphax and the other's will fall." He spoke, lunging at the beast again. Sazh started varying his assaults on the Cie'th, from Flamestrike to regular attack to Ruin. Fang and Vanille began throwing whatever debuffs they could get to land on the beast, while Hope and Serah started supporting the group with various enhancements.

Lightning and Gamenern were the first two to begin a sizable offense. As soon as they had enough enhancements, they charged the beast, though even with Haste speeding their attacks, they still couldn't land an attack on the beast. Syphax was still summoning his reinforcements, forcing the l'Cie to fight defensively.

Hope lobbed a Ruinga at the beast, detonating it in midair after the Cie'th already dodged it. It was enough to cause a small opening to appear, allowing Lightning to strike. As soon as she saw it, she charged, hitting it's tail and severing it. She followed that up with another slash that hit the creature's wing, ripping it down the middle, then she finally impaled it through it's back. It went limp after a few seconds of squirming, before fading away into a light like Geiseric before him, his minions following suit.

xXxXx

When the Cie'th Marker appeared, Gamenern caught it and held it up. Another screen appeared, showing more Pulsian scrawl.

_A, kokatsuna yobidashi o anata gata o kiita hito._

_Pasu ga mada haruka ni nakunatte iru koto o shitte iru._

_Sono sairento tangan chaimu no oto_

_De oto sa rete iru ron o, sagashidasu._

Or, in Cocoon…

"Oh, ye who heard the Insidious call.

Know that the path is still far gone.

Seek out the Lone, whose silent pleas

Are answered by the sound of chimes."

Gamenern sighed after reading it for a good few minutes. "Nothing." Everyone frowned.

"They said chimes, right?" Serah asked, getting a nod from Vanille. "Where's a place that has chimes?"

A few long, hard seconds of thought were had before Vanille looked up. "Taejin's Tower. It's elevator plays a musical scale every time you go up or down." She shook her head. "By it isn't a chime. It's almost like a music box."

Gamenern stood up. "Well, it's worth taking a look. Besides, we gotta go past the tower to get back to Oerba, so we might as well stop there." Everyone nodded, and the group began the long trek back to the airship.

As they got inside the _Trickster_, the group took a small break. It took a while to wander through the caves, especially when you let Vanille lead the group back. Vanille was like another little sister to Lightning, but she found the girl's permanent optimism to be downright annoying. How Fang ever put up with it was beyond her. Still, they got back in time to have an early dinner.

It wasn't much. Like the last time the whole group stayed here in Sulyya, it was a simple fish dinner, but there were several other additions to that meal. Fang had brought plenty of salt, as usual. Gamenern had packed some behemoth meat and some chocobo down so he could make the regular stew. Other than that, it was a fairly simple meal.

It was shared in relative silence. Snow was talking with Serah, Hope and Sazh about nothing in general, while Vanille, Gamenern and Fang were caught up in a nostalgic conversation about the past. Lightning had opted to lay down. She had been tired since Geiseric for some reason, but she couldn't figure out why.

Try as she might, Lightning could not stay awake. Her eyes closed themselves and she felt unconsciousness swallow her into it's blackness.

"Lightning…" Fang sang into the sleeping woman's ear. It had been several hours since the group headed out to scout Taejin's Tower, looking for clues to Mithridates's location. Fang opted to stay behind and keep the ex-soldier company, though Fang had become restless.

When Lightning didn't respond, Fang nudged her. "Oy, sleepy, wake up." Fang spoke this slightly forcibly, but the soldier still slept. "Oh, Etro…"

Fang then something rash. Using her index finger only, she moved it to Lightning's exposed armpit and tickled it. The soldier squirmed for a few seconds, a smile drawn on her unconscious face, before her cerulean eyes shot open.

"Welcome back!" Fang said, her hand still near Lightning's armpit. Lightning looked at the limb groggily, then at Fang.

"You tickled me?" Lightning spoke, though her voice wasn't angry. She seemed amused, truthfully. "Why?"

Fang grinned. "You weren't waking up. I had to do something." Fang's grin got eviler. Lightning saw the plan in Fang's eyes before it actually happened.

"Fang, no…" But by time Lightning spoke the words, Fang was already on top of her, the warrior's hands trying to find any sensitive area to tickle.

Lightning was trying to keep her arms closed, but Fang's strength made it hard. The soldier squealed (as much as Lightning would, of course) as Fang's index finger reclaimed it's spot in Lightning's armpit, making the pinkette writhe, trying to escape the action.

Fang's laughs were more controlled than Lightning's hysterical, uncontrollable giggling. Her other hand had found the other armpit, doubling the amount of tickling that Lightning was receiving. Her face had become red from the laughing. She was failing at getting a counterattack against Fang. Either she wasn't ticklish or she could control it a lot better.

"Okay, okay. I give!" Lightning got out, still laughing. Fang smirked, stopping her assault on Lightning as the soldier caught her breath.

"You know, you should laugh more often." Fang stated, her hands now resting on either side of Lightning's chest. The soldier smiled, still laughing slightly from the tickling attack.

The pair met locked eyes a moment after that. Silently, several conversations were exchanged in only a moment's time. Before either side could react, their lips had crashed together, a fierce, passionate kiss being exchanged. Fang's hands moved from Light's sides to her chest plate, looking for the clasps. Lightning was fiddling with Fang's sash, frantically trying to undo it.

The two had been undressed in little time, exploring the familiar curves and crevices of their lover's body, long since committed to memory. Silent moans and deafening screams could be heard inside the cabin, the temperature raising from the contact and friction of the pair's naked bodies. Sweat poured from the duo as if they were running across the Steppe in the middle of a summer day, a byproduct of the constant heat and arousal of sex.

Once the pair had settled down from their escapade, they had opted to lay in each other's arms, not sleeping but not fully awake. Content with just holding the other like this.

"I love you." Fang spoke after a few moments of relative silence. Lightning nuzzled closer to Fang's neck, her curves synching with Fang's.

"I love you too." She replied, her voice heavy laden with sleep. And, not a minute after she said it, she was asleep. Fang chuckled.

"Hope no one shows up here soon…"

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><p><strong>Well, that was a good change at the end, I think! Well, till next time!<strong>


	12. Mithridates, the Lone

**_Undying_**

**Double update! Yessir, I give you not one, but _two_ updates in the same weekend (well, technically the same week). Consider it my apology for taking so long on the last chapter. This one is a little less action-y, and a little shorter than usual.**

**Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 2475**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Final Fantasy. I write these stories without SE's approval or permission.**

**Chapter 12: Mithridates, the Lone**

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><p>"Well, I'm not sure we're in the right spot…" Sazh muttered after the group finished their look over the Apex of Taejin's Tower. Sure, there were plenty of Cie'th and Pulsework machines in the tower, but there was no sign of Mithridates, or any Undying for that matter. The only thing they had concluded was that they hated Taejin's Tower. With a burning passion.<p>

"Well, guess we need to find another possible location." Gamenern said as he lead the group back to the musical elevator. "But first, lets make sure those two haven't torn your ship apart, old man." Gamenern's joke made Sazh's face go long and everyone else laugh.

The group piled into the elevator and Snow, being the only one who could reach it, pushed the lever to the "Ground Floor" tab and the elevator lurched downward, the musical scale playing eerily in the background as it descended.

"You know, I always wondered why this thing plays music like this." Snow commented as they passed the Third Tier. Gamenern chuckled.

"It was said that it used to play a more soothing tune, back during the War." He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But I never got a chance to come by. It was a military project, something to give the Army leverage to attack Cocoon." He finished just as the lift reached to ground floor.

Snow led the group out of the cramped lift. Once everyone got off, the lift closed and went up a few floors.

"Odd. Never did that before…" Vanille commented, noticing the lift taking off, as if something had scared it off.

"Umm, what the hell is that?" Sazh mentioned, pointing at a winged Cie'th watching them from a floor up. Gamenern cursed under his breath.

"That's Mithridates!"

xXxXx

When did she fall asleep? Fang didn't know, just that it was slightly darker outside as she got out of the bed. It was a struggle, seeing as Lightning was clutching her waist tightly. It wasn't until she got out of the bed that she realized she was undressed, same as Lightning. The pink haired woman had yet to stir from her slumber.

"Always were a heavy sleeper, huh Sunshine?" Fang mused, picking her clothes off of the floor, redressing herself as she looked out a small window in the cabin. "Huh, guess the other guys haven't found anything?" She then turned to her sleeping lover.

Lightning always looked peaceful in her sleep, even despite her stoic nature in consciousness. Sometimes, Fang wondered if this was "Claire" coming to the surface, showing that she wasn't gone entirely. Fang wanted to meet Claire, to see what the girl inside the soldier was really like.

After a few moments of admiration, Fang looked back out the window in thought. "Guess you'd kill anyone who woke you up in this state?" Fang spoke to Lightning, who had still not woken up. "Damn, you really were tired, huh?" Fang was trying to stifle her chuckles as she looked around the cabin.

It wasn't hard to find Lightning's armor. It was fairly easy to spot, even in the darkness that was falling over the airship. She then pondered how to put the armor back on. It wasn't as if she had been taking note on how to put the armor on. She was more concerned with how to take it off. Still, she felt she could figure it out. Using herself as the test, she placed the chest plate over her sari, taking note of where the armor's clasps were.

"Okay, so that goes there…" Fang mumbled, still fumbling with the locks on the metal clothing. She growled slightly when the clasps wouldn't line up properly. "How the hell do you get this thing on?" She growled, which was answered with a small laugh. Fang almost, _almost_ jumped at the sound.

"You gotta put that piece on last." Lightning spoke, looking at Fang with amused eyes. Fang was half-amused, half-annoyed with the way Lightning answered her. The huntress squinted at the soldier.

"Okay then, smartass." Fang joked, pulling the plate off her body. "You take care of it." She handed Lightning the metal armor and walked out of the cabin, leaving Lightning to get dressed.

When Fang got out of the cabin, she noticed that the sun had gone down completely. 'Where the hell are they?'

xXxXx

Sazh barely dodged a bolt of lightning that the winged Cie'th had unleashed in an effort to finish his enemies. Sazh responded by shooting three shots at Mithridates, hitting the Cie'th underneath his left wing. The Cie'th howled in pain but stayed in flight.

"Nothing's working!" Vanille shouted, trying for the umpteenth time to get any of her saboteur spells to land on the Undying. Gamenern nodded, then motioned to Sazh and Hope.

"Start working on getting some buffs on us. Snow, get his attention." Gamenern barked, dodging another Levinbolt attack. While not as physically demanding as some of the previous Undying, Mithridates was still not one to be taken lightly.

The Cie'th saw Gamenern's attempt at a counter attack and dodged it, getting behind him and unleashing a sickening green mist. Gamenern took the full brunt of the miasma, falling to the ground unceremoniously as the ailments took hold. Serah started work on getting them out of the man and bringing him back to full strength.

Meanwhile, Snow had finally gotten the Cie'th's attention and was leading him away from the others. Mithridates lunged at him several times, hitting at Snow's Steelguard defense. The attacks were ineffective, making the Undying annoyed.

Sazh finished supporting everyone and started to unleash his assault. Hope followed suit, slinging any manner of spell at the monster. Vanille had been trying to tangle the Cie'th in her lines, hoping to bring about a short, easy victory, but Mithridates was fast and elusive. Even Hope and Sazh were having trouble hitting him.

In his frustration, Sazh shot wide, not hitting the Undying but passing through the ring that summoned the lift. It worked, calling the elevator down wards, right onto an unsuspecting Mithridates. The Undying tried to avoid it, but he got caught in the gears, crushing him between the lift and the wall.

The group looked on in awe as the Undying fell to the ground unceremoniously, before fading away into a white light. When the Cie'th Marker hit the ground, everyone looked at it.

"Umm, did that just happen?" Snow asked in disbelief. Several silent nods were his only response. Serah was helping Gamenern sit up, finished with her task of healing him.

"Just wait till Lightning hears about this…"

xXxXx

Lightning was looking up at the returning l'Cie with both confusion and annoyance.

"Let me get this straight. You go out and look for this thing, find it, then proceed to fight it without our help? And you guys didn't even actually kill it, but the elevator did?" Anger and disbelief were in her voice. Snow nodded meekly, joined by Hope and Sazh. Only Gamenern seemed brave enough to answer.

"To be honest, we were headed back." He said, though he was certain Lightning wouldn't find that as a good enough excuse. "When we found him, we had no choice but to fight. It wasn't as if we were looking for a fight, we just found one." Lightning mumbled something unheard by anyone else and turned away. Fang sighed and stood up.

"Well, lets hear it. What's that little marker say?" She asked, pointing at the small grey Cie'th Marker. Gamenern held it up and read it.

"Ye who have engaged the Lone.

Your bravery shall be revered.

But know that the strongest foes

Still lie ahead of you.

Seek out the Butcher, Zenobia

In the ruins of a former land.

And sate her thirst for blood."

Once he finished, Gamenern sighed. "'In the ruins of a former land', huh? Isn't that all of Gran Pulse?" He seemed annoyed with the vague clues as much as Sazh. Fang read it over before venturing a guess.

"You said Zenobia was the one who attacked Haelii, right?" She asked Gamenern, who nodded lightly. "Why not start there?" Gamenern nodded, then leaned back in a chair.

"But first, lets return to Oerba." He yawned, looking at Sazh, who nodded in agreement. "We can head back out tomorrow morning." The others nodded, and Sazh started the ship up and took flight.

xXxXx

The group was going to meet back at the hanger at around 9 am in the morning. With a few final words, they all took off in various directions. Fang and Lightning went back to their house. Vanille went to her small apartment. Hope went back to his dad's place. Serah and Snow went to their shared house, and Sazh headed back to his house. Gamenern was the only person who didn't go to his own house.

When he arrived at his destination, he could hear some laughter from inside the house. Knocking three times on the door, he waited for someone to answer. When the knob was turned, he saw a short young girl answer it. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Daddy!" Penelo yelled, charging the man with a hug. Gamenern picked her up and held her close. He ruffled her hair lightly as he stepped inside the house, his eyes searching for the person he wanted to see.

"Gamenern?" Lebreau looked surprised to see him so early. She thought he was going to be gone for a lot longer than just a single day. She approached him, kissing him after he set Penelo down.

"Just visiting for tonight. Still haven't killed all those Cie'th yet." He spoke as soon as Lebreau went back to what she was doing. From the looks of it, she was cleaning up the dinner she had with Penelo, though there was more plates at the table. "The guys come over for dinner?" He asked in an amused voice.

"Yes." Lebreau sighed, dragging the word out longer than usual. "I swear, I want to kill them sometimes! Why the hell can't they just go out to a restaurant or something like other lazy people?" She was certainly miffed, but Gamenern just laughed it off.

"Maybe they enjoy your cooking." He said, grabbing one of the plates and taking it to the kitchen. Penelo was helping too, though she wasn't able to hold the heavier plates and was carrying the silverware back to the sink.

"Whatever." She mumbled, still a little agitated. Gamenern rubbed her back lightly and put the plate in the sink, letting the warm water run over it.

"Why don't you let me take care of the dishes, hm?" He suggested, taking the barmaid's hand out of the sink. "Besides, don't you have work soon?" he asked. Lebreau shook her head.

"Took some time off. I'm letting Yuj run the place." Gamenern had to stifle a snort after he heard that.

"You seriously let that boy run the bar, alone?" Gamenern asked, thoroughly amused. He was taking the last of the dinnerware from the table and was heading back to the kitchen. "You sure he won't run off all the customers? Or burn the place down?" Lebreau chuckled lightly.

"Who knows?" She said, tilting her head somewhat. Gamenern chuckled.

xXxXx

After cleaning the dishes, Gamenern looked at the clock in Lebreau's living room. _10:12_ It read. Gamenern lifted Penelo up into a small hug.

"Time for you to get to bed, missy." He said, walking over to the guest bedroom. Penelo pouted somewhat, but didn't struggle to much.

"But you've been gone for a while." She whined as Gamenern set her into the bed. Gamenern chuckled, releasing a small sigh.

"Yeah, I know baby." He said, kneeling beside her on the bed. "But, when I get done with everything, we can all live together. One big family. Would you like that?" Gamenern was tucking the girl in as he asked her this. Penelo nodded happily.

"Well, be patient. I'll be back before you know it." He leaned over and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead before standing up. He was at the door before Penelo stopped him.

"Daddy, could you tell me a story?" She asked. Gamenern smiled, turning around to her.

"Of course." He grabbed a small chair from the corner of the room and set it next to Penelo's bed. "Hmm, okay, I got one. Once upon a time…" Gamenern trailed off into the story as Lebreau watched from the doorway, smiling as the man recited the tale.

When Gamenern finished, he tucked Penelo in. The girl had fallen asleep at some point in the story, but Gamenern kept telling her it, soothing her as he did. When he got to the door, he saw Lebreau just outside, leaning against the doorway to another room, her room.

"You never told me you were so good with kids." She commented, motioning to the room where Penelo slept. Gamenern rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. I worked at the orphanage before I joined the Army." He said, following Lebreau to the living room. Lebreau nodded, signaling for Gamenern to continue. "I had to tell the kids all kinds of stories to help them sleep at night. It became a talent, I guess." He shrugged.

"Well, it suits you well." Lebreau said, handing Gamenern a small glass of tea. He took it and sipped it, before leaning back in his chair. Lebreau sighed heavily.

"Be careful out there tomorrow, yeah?" She asked. Gamenern raised an eyebrow.

"Of course." He answered, then leaned forward. "What's bugging you?"

Lebreau shook her head, but Gamenern grabbed her chin. He looked deep into her eyes. "What is it, Lebreau?" He asked again, this time with more force. The barmaid sighed.

"You said you're fighting against Cie'th that even some fal'Cie fear." She said, her voice unusually flat and even. "But you go after them like they're a gorgon or a goblin." She then shook her head from Gamenern's light grip. The man sighed.

"I'll come back to you." He said, this time bringing Lebreau into a hug. "You'll see. I'll come back to you and Penelo." Lebreau nodded slightly, her only response. Gamenern smiled lightly, then released the hold, before standing up, holding Lebreau's hand.

"Come on." He said in a low voice, before leading her to her room. The pair disappeared into the darkness before the door was slammed shut.

xXxXx

"_Good. They are making good progress." Aalere said, looking on from the Invisible Realm. Beside him, the alter to Lindzei was standing, menacing and demeaning. Aalere knelt before it._

"_My plan is working, Master." He spoke to the alter. It shimmered lightly before Lindzei's serpent-like shape appeared._

"_This had better work, Aalere." Lindzei said, his voice deep and commanding. "Failure is not an option." And with that, Aalere faded into purple flame._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you go. Two chapters in two days! Hope you guys like it.<strong>

**R&R like usual!**_  
><em>


	13. Zenobia, the Butcher?

**_Undying_**

**Hello again! Chapter 13 is up and ready to be read! Don't have too much to say, other than enjoy the chapter, so, enjoy the chapter!**

**Word Count: 2694  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing to do with the Final Fantasy franchise. It's all SE's.**

**Chapter 13: Zenobia, the Butcher?  
><strong>

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><p>"Faaaannnnggg!"<p>

That high pitched, whining voice was not immediately recognized by Fang in her sleep, but it could only belong to one of two people. Serah, but she never used that voice unless it was directed at Lightning, or Vanille, who used a similar voice to awaken Fang back in the orphanage.

Cracking open an eye, she saw a head of red hair, tied back in two pigtails. Fang groaned. "Vanille, what do you want?" Fang asked while rolling over. She frowned when she found that Lightning wasn't in bed. Vanille giggled.

"It's almost 8:30. Remember what Sazh said?" Vanille teased, controlling her giggling. Fang shook her head, but started to get out of the bed. "He said meet him at the hanger at 9am." Vanille smiled when Fang still didn't move faster.

"Lightning's mad at you, by the way." Vanille added when Fang was finally out of the bed. Stretching, Fang raised a single eyebrow at the girl. "She made you breakfast but you were out like a behemoth." Fang smiled lightly, though she couldn't see Lightning making anything more than a few slices of toast. The woman just wasn't patient enough for cooking.

"What she make?" Fang asked casually, grabbing one of her new saris out of the closet. When Oerba had started to be developed, Lightning had four new saris made for Fang, each a perfect replica of the original. Lightning had said that it had cost quite a bit of gil, but Fang was touched by the gesture.

Fang started to arrange for the sari to fit when Vanille spoke again. "She made oretoise sausages." Fang stopped in mid dressing to look at Vanille. The redhead nodded.

"I'll be damned…" Fang whispered, continuing to fit the sari over her normal halter top and shorts. Vanille giggled again.

"Yeah, well, it's probably cold by now. She made it an hour ago." Fang just shook her head. It didn't matter if it was cold, a simple Fire spell could warm it up perfectly. The fact that Lightning had made a fairly difficult meal, and one of Fang's favorite breakfasts at that, was more than enough.

After she finished adjusting the sari to fit correctly, Fang led the way out of the small bedroom, noticing that the entire group had gathered here. Hope was sitting in a small armchair, talking with Snow and Serah. Gamenern was watching the morning news with Lebreau. Sazh was watching Dajh and Penelo playing with the chocobo chick. Lightning was the only one not present.

"Where's Light?" Fang asked as she walked to the kitchen. She saw the plate with three patties on the far end of the counter. Fang used a weak Fire spell to warm the food up and grabbed the salt that had been so graciously placed just beside the plate. She was stepping out as the soldier in question walked in the house, carrying a large knapsack.

"Um, right there!" Snow said, pointing with his thumb at the strawberry blonde. Fang gave him an 'Okay, smartass.' look and sat down at one of the dining room chairs, turning it so she could talk with the others easier. Lightning looked around the house and sighed.

"Why is it that everyone gathers at _my_ house?" She complained silently, heard only by Fang. Fang grinned as the soldier placed the satchel she was carrying down on a coffee table near the hallway. She unzipped it and pulled out a set of potions and other medicines.

"Enjoying the meal?" Lightning asked, moving to sit next to Fang. The huntress nodded with a wide grin on her face. "Got the recipe from Vanille. Thought I had gone insane when I asked her." Fang had to catch herself from choking on the food. Lightning smirked, giving the warrior a firm slap on the back. "Easy there, woman." Her tone was laced with sarcasm and humor. Fang just half-scowled, continuing to eat.

xXxXx

9am rolled around as the l'Cie took off in the _Trickster_, headed for the ruins of Haelii, the capital of industry on Gran Pulse in it's time. It was used a lot for the production of weapons and machines for Pulse's army during the war. Now, it was just a shell of a city, filled with Cie'th and other monsters.

They landed about 45 minutes later, setting down on a ledge near the ruins. There was one area in particular that was open and quite empty. Gamenern saw that and sighed. "It can't be that easy, can it?" He said, somewhat amused. Sazh chuckled once.

"Let's hope so."

The group walked towards the empty area when the ground started to crack in the center. Several crystalline tentacles erupted from the ground before the body of a large red Cie'th rose from the mess, glowering at the l'Cie.

"Yep, that's her." Gamenern confirmed, settling into a battle stance. The other l'Cie followed suit. Lightning looked over at Serah before she did so and noticed the girl was carrying a sword/bow combo. Lightning (somehow) both smiled and frowned at Serah, unseen by the younger Farron. The real question was 'Could she use it?'

Zenobia roared once before beginning to cast a spell of some sort. Gamenern waited for the right moment to spring in and start his offensive.

That moment never came, because before the Cie'th could get to halfway in casting the spell, a black/purple flame erupted from the ground around it. It engulfed the Cie'th, which silently writhed in pain, before it was completely disintegrated by the flames. The flames took off into the air, forming around an invisible person, it seemed. The form took shape and color, then looked down at the group. Everyone's blood went cold.

"Ah, nice to see you out and about, Fang." The man teased, landing softly where Zenobia once stood. "I was afraid you were done for good back there." He said, drawing his blade, covered with the same purple flame he came from. Lightning and Fang both growled at the same time.

"You're a dead man, Aalere!" Gamenern shouted, gripping his axe so tightly, his had was turning white. Aalere simply laughed.

"If I'm not mistaken, I've been a dead man three times already." He smiled. "So, I don't think a forth death would really matter, would it?" This only worked to make the l'Cie, Gamenern, Lightning, and Fang specifically, angrier. Gamenern lunged the man, followed by Fang and Lightning.

Aalere effortlessly deflected Gamenern, but had a much harder time pushing Fang away. Lightning's speed made his job that much harder, and when Gamenern returned to the fray, Aalere took to the air. "Impressive." He said, but couldn't go on, because an arrow pierced his left shoulder, followed by one to his chest.

Serah was already loading a third arrow, Sazh and Snow standing on either side of the girl, Hope and Vanille a few paces behind the three. Aalere laughed, then engulfed himself in his black flame, reappearing a few inches behind Serah with the arrows gone. "You missed." He said, then swung his blade.

Serah was fast enough to block the attack, but wasn't strong enough to hold her ground and was sent flying away. She landed on the ground with a stumble, holding her footing, but Aalere was already charging her. Snow was following the man with murderous intent in his eyes, but wasn't fast enough to catch the man. Aalere brought his blade up to slash at Serah before she could recover.

Before he could, his hands were tied together by Vanille's Nirvana, the wires holding the man in place with deceptive strength. Before he could shift his weight to counter, Snow got a good punch to land on the man's cheek, staggering him enough for Serah to unleash her counter attack.

For someone who had never (to Lightning's knowledge) used a sword, Serah was quite good at it. She was fast, too. Aalere was hit several times, Serah and Snow combining their attacks to knock the man off balance as Gamenern, Lightning and Fang charged him. Before they arrived, though, Aalere regained his countenance, deflecting the couple's attacks and easily dodging the oncoming onslaught of the new combatants. Aalere was in the air when he was assaulted by several spells cast by Hope and Vanille, the mages working together effortlessly as the man tried to deflect the attacks.

Sazh took aim with his guns while the man was occupied with the magical onslaught and fired. The bullets ran through his head, leaving two clean wounds in it, before a dual Firaga engulfed him, exploding as they did. When the smoke cleared, the man wasn't there, but that didn't mean he was dead.

Lo and behold, only a few seconds later, Aalere reemerged maybe fifty feet away, standing as if he wasn't even affected by the assault. He laughed sinisterly as the group readied for another attack.

"Outstanding." He said, putting his blade away. Gamenern looked at him with a confused but defensive look. "It seems my initial judgment of your powers was off." He then clapped for them, as if they passed a test of some sort. "But, can you handle this power?" Aalere then faded away, replaced by a giant serpent, looking a lot like a cobra.

xXxXx

Gamenern looked at the beast and cursed. "It's a Basilisk." He said, moving away slightly. "These things are supposedly very dangerous. Guess Aalere had one for his Eidolon." Gamenern then got an idea.

"Already ahead of ya!" Snow said as he was crushing his Eidolith in his hand. Others followed suit, calling upon their Eidolons to fight this new foe. Slowly, they all took shape. The knightly armor of Odin. The twin sisters Shiva. The multi-armed Hecatoncheir. The large, castle like Alexander. The dark, clouded dragon Bahamut. The scale covered hunter Leviathan. The flame-armored Brynhildr.

Gamenern nodded, then called his Eidolith out and held it out. It took the shape of a black/blue flame. He let it go and it hovered in air for a few seconds before it took off into the air, changing color and glowing red. As soon as the crystal stopped, it began to take the shape of a warrior donning a large robe. He had a helmet on that covered his face, only exposing his eyes and the bottom of his jaw. He had yellow/red armor on that seemed to fit him tightly. His robe was black and went to his feet. In his right hand he wielded a hammer, while his left hand held a balancing scale.

"Exodus!" Gamenern shouted while pointing at the enemy snake. The judge nodded once, then led the attack on the beast.

Basilisk rose to a phenomenal height as the Eidolons began their assault. Odin leapt high into the air, followed by Leviathan. Both went straight after the head of the beast, striking at the eyes of their foe, hoping to blind it. Stiria and Nix began to sling powerful Blizzaga spells, freezing sections of the great beast. Hecatoncheir started to pummel the beast with repeated punches to wherever he could reach, working well in the areas that Stiria and Nix had frozen. Alexander's powerful punches and uppercuts did a lot of damage to the monster. Brynhildr's relentless flurry also did a lot of damage.

Exodus took to the air with Bahamut, both of whom charged powerful magical spells to unleash upon the serpent. After a few spells, the duo dove straight at the snake, striking it just behind it's head. The serpent roared in pain, but was able to deflect the Eidolons with a simple tail swipe.

The Eidolons returned to their masters' sides, waiting for their next orders. A silent conversation was exchanged between the l'Cie before Gamenern nodded. "Go all out! Finish it!"

As soon as he said that, Leviathan charged his Tidal Wave attack and unleashed it. The water rushed at the snake, surrounding it, before Stiria and Nix used their Diamond Dust attack, freezing the water and Basilisk in place. Odin unleashed Zantetsuken next, shattering the ice and a fraction of the snake's skin. Hecatoncheir charged it's Gaian Salvo, unleashing it into the ground, erupting underneath the snake, further opening the wound Odin's attack had inflicted. Alexander charged Divine Judgment, unleashing the blast onto the wound, this time nearly shattering it.

Brynhildr created a powerful vortex of Fire, the Muspell Flame attack engulfing Basilisk. Bahamut charged and unleashed it's devastating Megflare attack, shattering the wound and causing a great deal of pain to course through the serpent Eidolon.

Exodus was the last to unleash his attack. He raised his hammer into the air, which caused it to turn into a meteor. He moved his arm as if swinging his hammer forward, which caused the meteor to fly straight at the enemy, exploding with a earth shattering impact. Dust and rock flew into the air, surrounding the area where Basilisk was, before clearing away to expose the beast.

The serpent swayed for a few seconds, then crashed unceremoniously to the ground. A blueish light engulfed it, and then it faded away into the air. Gamenern looked around, then sighed.

"It's done." After saying it, he punched the ground. "Damn it!" Anger and hatred coursed through the man's voice. Aalere had the next Cie'th Marker, no doubt, and was probably on his way to fight the creature. Hope was the next to speak.

"Well, we've killed five Undying, right?" He said, counting on his fingers. "Bituitus, Geiseric, Syphax, Mithridates, Zenobia. Yeah, five. That means that there are two left, right?" Gamenern nodded.

"Yes. Attacus and Vercingetorix." He said, his voice still shaking with anger. "And Vercingetorix is the lord-sovereign of the Undying, so that means Attacus is next in line." He shook his head. "But without the Cie'th Marker, we won't know where to look." Fang approached him, kneeling beside the man.

"Why don't we return to Oerba, huh?" She said, getting his attention. "If we go there, you can take a look at all those Analects you've gathered. Maybe one might have a clue to this bastards location." Gamenern thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, lets go." He said, picking himself off the ground. Aalere would have to wait. Right now, there was some serious searching to do.

The group was in the flight back to Oerba while talking about nothing in general. Snow was going on in detail about the fight with Mithridates, explaining exactly how the Cie'th was defeated. Fang openly laughed at the comical nature of the death, while Lightning was slightly disappointed. How was it that the six of them still had trouble fighting one lone Cie'th, Undying or not? Perhaps they had let Snow lead them?

They were about to move on to another topic when Sazh slowed the ship to a stop. Gamenern looked at the cockpit, then stood up. "Hey, why'd you stop?" He asked the pilot, who was looking at his radar.

"This radar is picking up a large, dense group of something moving to the north." He said, motioning to the green display. It was littered with so many little yellow dots that it looked like one big mass. Sazh started to fly towards the source.

As soon as he did, he stopped again, gawking at what was before him. The others, who had stepped out as well, were sharing his expression.

Hope was the first one to find his voice, although it wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been.

"Is that…a Cie'th army…?"

* * *

><p>OMAKE<p>

"Ah, nice to see you out and about, Fang." Aalere teased, landing softly where Zenobia once stood. "I was afraid you were done for good back there." He said, drawing his blade, covered with the same purple flame he came from. Lightning and Fang both growled at the same time.

Before anyone could attack him, something small and green ran up to him, stabbing him in the shin with it's knife. "Ow…damn it!" Aalere shouted before fading in an explosion of dark flame. The tonberry then turned to the group, brandishing it's knife.

"Hehe, go, green guy!" Snow said, but the tonberry just charged him. "Oh crap…"

* * *

><p><strong>Just had to put that little OMAKE section in there. Kinda cheesy, but eh.<strong>

**I never actually thought about it, but I realized, as I was writing this chapter, I never did say what Gamenern's Eidolon was. There wasn't a good spot to put an Eidolon fight in, so I just made it so he had his already. As for the Eidolon itself, it is slightly based of Exodus from FFXII. He was one of the cooler Espers in that game.**

**Anyway, R&R like usual! Till next time!**


	14. Attacus, the Soulless

_**Undying**_

__**Alrighty! Chapter 14 is done and up! It's almost done, guys! The final few fights are ahead now. It's getting into the part of the story I am excited to write, so hopefully there shouldn't be to much time between updates.**

**I thank all of you who have supported me through these chapters! Enjoy!**

**Word Count: 3525**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the three FFXIII discs for my XBox 360. That's all of the Final Fantasy series I own! Everything else is SE's.**

**Chapter 14: Attacus, the Soulless**

* * *

><p>"Michelle, did anybody call while I was out?" A man with clean cut black hair asked to a woman sitting behind a desk. The woman simply shook her head silently, continuing the conversation she was having with another client. The black haired man nodded, then walked to his office, marked "Mayor Harrison Miller". Before he got into the room, he noticed the figure of Bartholomew Esthiem out of the corner of his eye.<p>

"Esthiem!" He called to the man, who nodded and approached him. They shook hands when Bartholomew arrived. "I've been meaning to talk to you about the New Palumpolum situation." He said simply, still not entering his office. The brown haired man nodded again.

"Of course." He said simply. He knew Harrison hated the idea, mainly because a l'Cie had made the suggestion, and that, despite him and Harrison not working together too often, the mayor didn't like him one bit. "What is it you would like to know?" He asked, keeping his words too the point.

"I was wondering if you've gotten the total amount of people who were going to participate in that move?" The mayor asked. Bartholomew nodded, then grabbed a paper from his folder. He handed it to the man before him.

"We've got approximately 8,000 people who are willing to move when New Palumpolum is ready to start taking residents." He then pulled out another paper. "We've also heard that there is going to be a New Bodhum settlement built near the oceans to the west. According to our source, the town will have enough room for 15,000 people before this time next year." Harrison nodded, then handed the papers back to Bartholomew.

"Thank you, Esthiem. You may go." The brunette bowed slightly, then walked back to his office, while Harrison entered his own. He placed his briefcase on the desk and opened it.

"Is it true you hate Lightning Farron?" A voice spoke. Harrison turned around to see a man with black hair, dressed in purple/black tribal clothing, standing near the door. The mayor hit his phone to call security, but the line wasn't working.

"Answer my question, Mr. Mayor." Aalere spoke, stepping closer. Harrison tried the phone again. "It wont work. I cut the line. I was hoping we could work together." He said, sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. "You see, I too hate Lightning Farron, as well as the other l'Cie."

Harrison stopped trying to call security and shook his head. "What do you want?" He asked, somewhat with fear, but mostly annoyed. Aalere chuckled.

"I would like to ask for your help in my fight against the l'Cie." Aalere said, standing up. "I happen to know that there is a way to restore Cocoon to it's former state." Harrison snorted.

"Really? How?" The mayor asked, unconvinced. Aalere laughed.

"I know of a powerful being that will bring salvation." Aalere said simply. "And, as an added bonus, it will get rid of the l'Cie for you." Harrison thought for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Deal. What do you need?" He asked, extending his had to shake the other's. Aalere grinned evilly.

"You'll do just fine." He said, grabbing the man's hand in his own. Harrison felt a sharp pain in his forearm, burning his skin. Before he could make a sound, he fell to the ground, dead.

"Attacus…" Aalere spoke, holding out the Cie'th Marker that came from Zenobia to Harrison's dead body. The body glowed with a white light, then changed into the Cie'th Attacus. He was a one armed Cie'th, like the Wladislaus before him, but he had a darker green tint to his 'skin'. The Cie'th looked at Aalere, before the man spoke.

"Go. Command your armies. Destroy Oerba." Attacus nodded, then leapt out of the window. Aalere smirked, then drew his blade and charged his Flare attack.

xXxXx

Amodar was sitting in his offices in the Guardian Corps Command Center, looking over the plans for the Oerba Military Training Base. Currently, the budget for the base was just over five billion gil, but there was only one billion gil set aside for the construction. At the current rate of income, the base would take just over ten years to complete.

His concentration was broken when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Major Amodar speaking." He said, leaning back in his chair.

After listening to the person on the other end explain, Amodar leaned forward. "The City Hall was what?" He asked in disbelief. According to the report, the building had been razed by some huge explosion. "What about Mayor Harrison?" The man on the other line gave him grave news. "What did it?"

Before he could get the answer, his office was hit by a large magic spell, destroying a large section of the roof and the entire outside wall. Amodar was flung into the far wall, landing in a pile near the door. He staggered to his feet, only to see a winged Cie'th flying at him, ready to kill him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact.

It never came. Someone had landed on the Cie'th, impaling it with their weapon, killing it. He saw the armored figure turn to him, recognizing it instantly. "Farron! What the hell is going on?" He asked her, urgent and impatient, something he never was with her.

"We need to evacuate the town. Oerba's under attack." She said calmly. Amodar gapped at her response, but didn't question it. The other l'Cie had joined Lightning, standing watch over the town.

Only the first few waves of the Cie'th army had attacked, testing the waters, as it were. Several familiar and unfamiliar Cie'th were in the force, attacking anything they could get their hands on. A few seconds went by in silence before Lightning nodded, leading the l'Cie into the fray.

xXxXx

The fights against the Cie'th were not hard. Many of them were easily slain with a few attacks, while the more powerful ones were usually isolated from the other Cie'th. Many old enemies, such as the Wladislaus, were a part of the attacking force.

After clearing the town square, Snow caught sight of three familiar faces. "Hey!" He shouted, flagging the men down. Gadot, Maqui and Yuj ran to their boss, stopping just short of the man. "What's the situation?" He asked. Gadot shook his head.

"There's way to many of 'em." He said grimly, motioning towards the large force of Cie'th that had yet to attack. "There's no way we can defeat them all, not without the full backing of the army, and they can't get here for another two days."

Lightning stepped forward. "Two days?" She asked incredulously. "Just what the hell did Harrison plan on doing if something like this happened?" She was thoroughly pissed off. Yuj then shook his head.

"We'll never know. He was killed when the City Hall blew up." The blue haired man said. A few gasps were exchanged, but then Hope gasped in utter fear.

"My dad works there!" The silver-haired teen shot off in the direction of the building, but was stopped by Fang, who placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Not by yourself, ya ain't." She said simply, motioning for Snow and Serah. "These two will go with ya, we'll meet you there later." Hope nodded, then ran off, Snow and Serah following him.

A few more seconds went by before Gamenern looked at Gadot. "Where's Lebreau?" He asked urgently. The man nodded once, then motioned to the bar.

"She's holed up in the bar with some of the other members of NORA. She's got Penelo there." Gamenern barely heard the man's last few words as he took of towards the bar. They all looked at him, then nodded, following the man. Lightning was the last one to leave.

"Get the civilians out of Oerba." She said shortly, following her comrades. The three men watched the others leave, then looked at each other.

"Yuj, get Maqui to the hanger and get those machines." Gadot ordered, gripping his SMG tighter. "We'll need anything to make sure this fight goes our way." The two teens nodded, then took off. Gadot sighed, then took off towards a group of Cie'th fighting the local military.

xXxXx

Gamenern got to the bar in just under a minute, seeing the place under attack by several Cie'th. The members of NORA were very capable fighters, but even they were outmatched by the Cie'th, who had magics beyond what manadrives could muster. Gamenern was able to even the odds, supported by his friends when they arrived.

Gamenern didn't stay in the fight long, taking off to the bar as soon as he found the chance to. He saw the woman he was looking for after just a few seconds of searching. She was set up by a window, shooting at the enemy when she had the chance. Behind her, Penelo was hiding, trying not to be seen.

Gamenern rushed the two, sliding to a stop when he got close. Lebreau knew he was there but couldn't take her attention away from the fight. "I've got a transport coming by to pick her up." She said, ducking under cover once she needed to reload. Gamenern looked at the woman, then nodded.

"Where are they taking her?" He asked, shooting a Firaga spell out of the window at a winged Cie'th. Lebreau motioned northwards.

"To New Eden. The city is fortified with heavy equipment and can withstand just about anything these things can dish out." She grunted as she stood up to continue firing out of the window. This time, Gamenern pulled her down.

"I want you go with her." He said simply. Lebreau tried to argue but Gamenern shook his head. "You'll be safe there, and Penelo trusts you." He paused, then shook his head. "And I don't want you to get hurt." He sighed, trying to gather his emotions. Lebreau sighed as well, then nodded.

"Be careful, Gamenern." She whispered, setting her gun down. Gamenern smiled, then leaned over to kiss her. It wasn't long, just a short peck. After he did so, he turned to Penelo and hugged her.

"Stay with Miss Lebreau for me, alright?" He asked his daughter. The girl nodded slowly, returning the embrace. The transport arrived shortly after he released her. Several civilians who were hiding in the bar ran to the ship. Gamenern escorted Lebreau and Penelo to the ship. Before Lebreau got onto the ship, Gamenern gave her a more passionate kiss. It was full of longing and regret. Longing to see each other again. Regret for what could happen.

When the kiss broke, Gamenern looked into Lebreau's eyes and spoke quickly, already taking up a battle stance. "I love you." Was all he said before lunging towards the nearest Cie'th. Lebreau was barely able to register the words before the hatch was closed and the transport was in the air, flying to New Eden.

Once the area in front of the bar was cleared, Gamenern walked over to Sazh. "What about Dajh?" He asked the man. Sazh nodded, pointing at the ship that had left.

"He was on board. Had a friend of mine pick him up before we got here and get him on board. He's fine." Sazh sounded sure of himself, but Gamenern could pick up the slightest hint of fear in the man's voice. Indeed, there was no way to know if the ship made it to New Eden until they went there.

Lightning then walked forward. "We need to find Hope." She said, already heading in that direction. The other l'Cie were quickly in tow, not falling behind.

xXxXx

They arrived at the ruins of the City Hall to some relief. Hope's dad was somehow okay, the only person to have survived the attack. When Bartholomew explained the man who did it, anger flowed through everyone's veins. Aalere.

They had barely gotten there when another wave of Cie'th attacked the outpost. This wave was unusually smaller than the last one, and was dispatched without any problems. They had just finished the last one when another Cie'th appeared.

"Damn, it's one of those guys…" A soldier said, already aiming his rocket launcher at the enemy. The Cie'th, which looked like a Wladislaus, laughed (if the sound could be seen as a laugh) and ran at the men. The soldier fired, hitting the Cie'th. He smirked after the impact, but that smirk was cut short when he saw the Cie'th still running at him, unfazed by the blast.

Before he could even vocalize his fear, the Cie'th beheaded him, slicing his way through the entire regiment of men. The Cie'th finished with the last man before looking at the l'Cie.

"Damn it! It's Attacus!" Gamenern shouted, already taking up a battle stance. The other l'Cie did so as well, though Hope looked back at his dad.

"Go. Get somewhere safe!" Hope shouted. Bartholomew nodded, then followed the other soldiers to another outpost to await pickup.

The Cie'th looked at the l'Cie before it and laughed again. He saw the one he deemed the weakest, Hope, and lunged the boy. Fang was in front of the boy in an instant, her Steelguard taking the full brunt of the attack. Lightning and Gamenern soon followed up, hacking at the Cie'th, though every attack was deflected. Serah and Fang were quick to join, but even with four people fighting him, the Cie'th stood it's ground, never getting hit.

Sazh, Hope and Vanille were all throwing magic attacks at the Cie'th while Snow tried to get his own attacks to hit it. Still, the combined onslaught was repelled by Attacus's speed and power. The l'Cie then jumped back for a short reprieve.

"Fang, Vanille, see if you can get anything to hold him back!" Gamenern ordered. "Hope, Sazh, give us some kind of edge." The four in question all nodded, then began their tasks. Snow grabbed the monster's attention and began to defend himself, allowing the others to attack him.

Fang was able to slow Attacus down while Hope and Sazh worked on giving the entire group Haste. When Vanille saw that only her Deprotect and Deshell spells could take hold, she enhanced the group with Protectra, Shellra, Bravera and Faithra, adding to what Hope and Sazh had already put up. Once finished, the l'Cie went after Attacus again, this time with renewed vigor.

Gamenern was the first one to land a hit. He put Attacus off balance with a well timed uppercut, then was able to hit him with the blunt end of his axe, before disarming the Cie'th. Serah go the next few hits, knocking the Cie'th off footing with a flurry of well placed swings. Fang got the next volley, impaling him with her spear and launching him skyward, to which Lightning and Snow followed, pummeling the monster with whatever they could hit him with. Once they finished, they sent him back to the ground with a vicious attack, causing him to form a crater where he landed.

xXxXx

Despite the assault, Attacus was still able to fight. He stood up, almost taunting the l'Cie, before reaching into his chest. "What is he doing…?" Sazh asked, still not backing down. When Attacus pulled out a new sword, the group redoubled their defensise. But, after pulling the one sword out, Attacus did something no one expected.

The four "arms" on Attacus's left shoulder merged together to form a complete arm, and the arm reached into his chest and pulled out another blade. "You've gotta be kidding me…" Sazh said exasperated. The l'Cie all groaned in similar disbelief, then defended against the Cie'th's akimbo attacks.

If Attacus was fast before, he was lightning now as he attacked. Snow was barely able to deflect the enemy's attacks, opting to endure them instead. And Attacus's strength had grown. He was able to begin inflicting damage on Snow that required attending to, so Hope and Vanille took this role. Fang, Lightning, Gamenern and Serah all tried to hit the enemy but never could, the Cie'th able to deflect everything while still attacking Snow.

After a short flurry of attacks on the Sentinel, Attacus leapt back and focused on the man, both blades behind him. Before the l'Cie could begin an attack, Attacus unleashed a flurry of magic attacks that weakened Snow, then charged him with both blades, similar to an attack that Odin would do, pushing Snow back with deadly force. The NORA leader fell to a knee, barely able to breath after such a powerful onslaught.

Lightning then looked over to Fang, silently telling her to finish this. Nodding, the warrior woman charged a powerful Aeroga spell and waited for Lightning's signal. Gamenern was unleashing Firagas and Ruingas in the attempt to weaken the beast, while Hope, Serah, Vanille and Sazh all unleashed their own Various -gas in the same effort.

After the dust cleared, Lightning gave Fang the signal. Fang unleashed her Aeroga at the same time Lightning let loose a Thundaga spell. The combined vortex of wind and thunder sent Attacus upwards, allowing Lightning to charge in. She unleashed her Army of One, hacking and slashing at her foe, sending chips of "skin" in various directions. After finishing with a diving, downward slash, Lightning allowed Fang to take the offensive, uppercutting the enemy skyward again.

She followed with great speed, impaling her quarry in the chest, while Serah and Sazh shot at it with carefully aimed attacks. Fang disarmed the creature, literally when it came to the left arm, cutting the appendage off with a vicious slash. After this assault, she brought her spear over her head and unleashed a devastating Highwind attack, landing just ahead of the Cie'th as it crashed to the ground.

Attacus stood up weakly, as if he was trying to counterattack, but was stumbling, as if he was drunk. Lightning shot him once in the head, the bullet causing the body part to explode, before his body was engulfed in a white light that went into the sky, becoming his Cie'th Marker. The group breathed a sigh of collected relief when the small stone landed on the ground.

xXxXx

They barely had begun to relax when a colossal Cie'th began to march their way, intent on destroying them. They took up a weary battle stance, ready to fight the beast as it walked closer and closer.

It was maybe still a hundred feet away when a light shone from underneath it, seemingly weakening it. At the same time, the light grew brighter, blinding the l'Cie, who all shut their eyes to block out the offending source.

When they finally could open their eyes, they were shocked. Where the Cie'th once stood, there was a woman, maybe ten feet tall in white, billowing robes looking at them, her eyes a pure white. Gamenern and Lightning instantly knew who this was.

"My children, you have shown your bravery and your fortitude." Etro spoke, stepping closer. She looked at Fang, then smiled. "I am glad that you are safe, Oerba Yun Fang." While Fang's face didn't show her surprise, her body did.

"This is Etro, Fang." Lightning spoke, getting gasps from the other l'Cie who didn't know what the Goddess looked like. Fang nodded, then stepped closer.

"What's going on?" She asked, wary but willing. Etro smiled, then pointed to the Cie'th Marker in Gamenern's hands.

"You have only one more Undying to defeat." She said, her body beginning to radiate light. "I have come to ensure your village is safe. For now." She then motioned to the city. Indeed, Oerba was no longer under siege. She had destroyed all of the Cie'th. "This army was Aalere's doing. He will most likely be waiting for you when you find Vercingetorix." The Goddess then nodded, before fading away again.

It took several seconds for everyone to comprehend what had happened. With Oerba safe, that meant that Aalere was most likely looking for Vercingetorix, if he didn't know where the Cie'th was. When Gamenern realized this, he held the marker up.

This time, the screen that showed up was readable by everyone, including the people who didn't know Pulsian. Lightning was the first one to question this.

"Can you guys read this too?" She asked. Everyone nodded, then looked back to where Etro had stood a few seconds ago. "A last gift, maybe?" She asked. Fang shrugged, then looked to the screen.

"Oh, ye who felled the Soulless Fiend.

Know your task is almost fulfilled.

That the final foe lies before you.

Go to the beginning

To the crystal shell of the Pillager.

There, cross blades with the Bane-lord,

The one who's name heralds doom.

Vercingetorix."

This time, instead of being the one to complain about the clue, Sazh was the one who guessed the location. "We go back to Paddra?" He asked, looking at the screen. When the defeated Bituitus, he did go into a shell and not a Cie'th Marker. Gamenern nodded, then looked to the sky. With a sigh, he turned to the others.

"Lets finish this. Now."

* * *

><p><strong>And scene! Lol, always wanted to say that...<strong>

**Well, Chapter 14 complete! Now, for that last Undying. Btw, he is a total pain in the rear end to kill in game. I've done it (four times, actually), but he is the only thing that still gives me a challenge anymore. At least on my first game.**

**Well, R&R!**


	15. Vercingetorix, the Doomherald

_**Undying**_

**Update number 15! It's been fun getting theses out, but sadly, _Undying_ is drawing to it's close. I plan to write maybe two more chapters after this one. Hopefully, though, you guys will enjoy them.**

**Alright, here you go then. Chapter 15.**

**Word Count: 2798**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or anything associated with them. All I own is my imagination. I think...**

**Chapter 15: Vercingetorix, the Doomherald**

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><p>The <em>Trickster<em> landed just outside the city of Paddra for the final confrontation with the Undying, Vercingetorix. The Undying was the bane lord of the Undying, the strongest of the Cie'th. With the other six (technically five, seeing as Vercingetorix and Bituitus are the same) Undying defeated, the final Undying would appear and face the ones who had done this heresy.

Gamenern was the one who led the l'Cie through the ruins of the once great city, slaying every Cie'th that they encountered along the way. They were headed to the large, crystal cocoon that housed the dormant Vercingetorix, ready to destroy the final Undying.

They knew they weren't the only ones looking for the Cie'th. Aalere was also on the hunt, and that meant that the man was likely going to try and summon Lindzei then and there. That was what the l'Cie had to avoid with everything they could muster. If Lindzei was brought into this world, that would mean that he could complete his task of summoning the Maker.

The group arrived at the blue crystal and paused. There was nothing in the vicinity of the structure, save for the five Cie'th Markers that circled the sphere. Gamenern looked to each of his comrades, before sighing.

"Ready?" He asked shakily. It was the first sign of uncertainty that the man had showed. His stance was steady and certain, but it was evident that he had his doubts. The tone of his voice brought that uncertainty to life for the other l'Cie.

When no one spoke up against the plan, Gamenern stepped forward. As soon as he set foot on the stone circle surrounding the shell, the five Cie'th Markers began to glow, shining with a grayish-white light. It wasn't a sharp glow, but it was steady, filling the cocoon with energy. There was a shifting of something inside the blue sphere, then it shattered, revealing it's creation.

The Cie'th was blackish/blue, with various hints of red, yellow and white. It had only two wings, different than Bituitus's six, and was surrounded by a dark, brown aura that bent the light around him, looking like fire would. The l'Cie had already taken up defensive postures, ready to fight the Undying.

Vercingetorix charged the group, going after his nearest foe, Gamenern. The man jumped back, deflecting the Cie'th's advances, while the others began to support him. Vanille and Fang started to throw whatever debuffs they could get to land on him. Sazh and Hope started to support the group with enhancements of their own, having to avoid the eccentric and somewhat random attack patterns of the winged Cie'th.

Lightning, Snow, Serah and Gamenern were all attacking the Cie'th where possible. It was a tough feat, given the elusiveness of the monster and it's speed with it's attacks. Serah and Lightning were having the best luck, opting to use projectile attacks over melee attacks, which seemed to hit their target more often.

Snow and Gamenern started to attack with various elemental magics instead of attacking with their weapons. The Cie'th was slowed somewhat by Fang's Slow spell, but even with the handicap, Vercingetorix was fast and capable. He was lunging at whoever he happened to be nearest to, sometimes hitting his target, sometimes missing, but never quitting. It was almost as if the monster could think and plan, keeping it's cool whenever it failed. It was eerie.

After a few moments of battle, Vercingetorix flew back a ways and put up a paling to defend himself. The group tried to hit him with various attacks, but nothing got through. After a few seconds without getting anywhere, Gamenern jumped back.

"Brace yourselves." He warned, going into a defensive stance. The other l'Cie did the same thing, preparing for whatever was to happen.

When the shield around Vercingetorix fell, he sprouted three new pairs of wings, for a total of eight wings. His aura had also become darker, almost black. He spun in a fast pirouette, unleashing a torrent of wind blades onto the group. They were forced to endue the attacks, which were not too damaging, but it was enough to put them off balance for his next attack.

After he unleashed the Wing Shear attack, Vercingetorix flew in a tight circle, creating a whirlwind of energy as he did. The vortex grew larger and larger, before exploding outwards, hitting all the l'Cie with a powerful wall of wind. It caused Hope, Serah and Vanille to stumble back onto their backs, not quite ready to defend after the Wing Shear, and the other l'Cie to fall to a knee.

Once he unleashed his Wicked Whirl attack, Vercingetorix charged at Gamenern again, hitting the man and launching him into the air. He followed up with another Wing Shear, dazing the man and sending him crashing into the ground. Gamenern landed on his back a good ten feet from where he was standing a few moments earlier.

But the other l'Cie were still pressing on. Vanille had been able to get her Poison spell to land on Vercingetorix, weakening the monster considerably. Fang followed up by lunging at the Cie'th, cutting off two of the left wings, before Lightning slashed him with a vicious uppercut, sending the Cie'th flying backwards. Serah, Snow, Hope, Sazh and Vanille all charged up various -ga spells, unleashing them as soon as their enemy began to recover.

The combined onslaught was enough to defeat the Cie'th, who flew around aimlessly for a few moments before crashing into the ground, unmoving. A few silent seconds of waiting were had, until the group was certain that Vercingetorix was defeated. Snow was the first one to relax.

xXxXx

"Yeah, alright!" He said, a fist pumping into the air. The others smiled, some of them chuckling, as they saw the final Undying defeated. Gamenern nodded once, then turned to the remnants of the crystal cocoon that once held Vercingetorix. It was still glowing with the same aura it was earlier, but it was beginning to change color. It was no longer a blue hue, but instead a violet. A few more moments passed before they all faded away in a shower of small purple flames.

Gamenern growled, then turned to the sky. "It's over, Aalere!" He shouted, his axe already out and ready. The man was heard chuckling, before he appeared behind the fallen Cie'th.

"Is that so, Gamenern?" He asked, standing casually over the dead carcass of the Cie'th. "Because I always thought that Cie'th fade into dust when they are killed." He then pointed to the Cie'th as it twitched, taking flight once more. The l'Cie gasped in horror as the monster took to the air once again.

But something was off about him. His black aura had faded, and his movements were sluggish, as if he was a zombie. The term was fairly accurate, because Vercingetorix was no longer alive, but not quite dead, either. Aalere laughed at the l'Cie's reactions.

"Fools. I never needed to defeat the Undying myself to attain my goals." He said, drawing his blade, the purple flame dancing vigorously. "I just needed them to be weakened." He then smiled.

"You have sworn to keep me from merging with any of the Undying. But you have failed." He held out the Cie'th Marker he attained from Zenobia. "I needed the essence of one, and Zenobia was the perfect one to take. Her powers were enough to ensure your defeat!"

After he spoke, he engulfed himself and Vercingetorix in a large, purple fireball, spiraling upwards like the Cie'th's Wicked Whirl attack, before fading away to reveal a horrifying sight.

Aalere and Vercingetorix were no longer recognizable, but it was clear that Aalere was still here. He seemed to have fused with Vercingetorix, taking on characteristics of both the winged Cie'th and Zenobia. He was a grayish-red hue, with eight wings that resembled a storybook dragon's, and a tail that seemed to fray into several tentacles, a trait of Zenobia. The man's face was still his own, but now he had what looked like Cie'th hands on either side of his head, holding it in place. His eyes were now pure obsidian, with only small yellow dots for pupils. His voice was sinister and inhuman as he laughed.

His sword was still apparent, dancing even more vigorously after this transformation. The l'Cie stood in disbelief as Aalere took to the air, pointing his sword at them. "Behold the true power of Lindzei!"

He then unleashed his Flare attack on the group. They scattered, splitting into two groups of four, separated by a flaming crater where the spell hit. Snow, Fang, Hope and Sazh were on one side while Lightning, Serah, Vanille and Gamenern were on the other. They looked up to see Aalere charging Hope's group at an alarming rate. Hope dodged the first hit but wasn't quick enough to avoid the second one, which hit him just above his waist, sending him crashing into a wall a few feet away.

As the other l'Cie tried to regroup with their comrades, Snow, Fang and Sazh did the only thing they could do: Defend. All three of them went into Steelguard, enduring the relentless attacks that Aalere was able to deal out. And the man was crafty. He didn't use just his sword. His wings, his tail, and even his body were all used in the assault, and his speed was too much for even Lightning to counter.

When the other l'Cie joined the assault, Aalere went defensive. He was able to deflect even more than he could before, using his wings as shields. Lightning and Fang were fast enough to defend while attacking, allowing them to go for much longer than their comrades could against the man, while Sazh and Serah tried to hit him with their ranged attacks.

Gamenern supported the group while watching Aalere's tendencies. It seemed that whenever Aalere went to attack, he would tuck his legs in, and he would bring his offhand into his chest when defending. Also, Aalere's eyes would home in on wherever he was planning to strike, allowing one to predict his movements. After catching these habits, Gamenern charged in, swinging at the man.

As soon as Aalere went offensive against Gamenern, the man really attacked. He move in closer, hitting the man with the blunt end of his axe's handle, and then slashing upwards with deadly force. As soon as Aalere was off balance, the l'Cie pounced. Fang impaled the man with her spear, hitting him just below his heart. She spun around in a tight rotation, bringing the blades out of her enemy and then hitting the man in the back, sending him into Lightning's attack.

Lightning instantly unleashed her Army of One while the other l'Cie used whatever attacks they could muster. Sazh and Hope were unleashing barrages of magic, while Serah was busy focusing her Ultima spell. Seeing this, Vanille started to charge a smaller version of her Death spell to unleash at the same time.

Snow and Gamenern were firing off various magic attacks varying from weaker versions to more powerful ones throughout. Fang was hacking at her target in synch with Lightning, the pair long since able to read the other's attack patterns. Aalere was trying to counterattack, but he was slowly losing ground against the l'Cie.

Once Fang and Lightning jumped back, Serah and Vanille unleashed their attacks. At the same time, everyone unleashed their -ga spells (Lightning with Thundaga, Snow with Blizzaga, Sazh with Firaga, Hope with Waterga, Fang with Aeroga and Gamenern with Ruinga). The combined blast hit Aalere directly, engulfing him in an array of colors and magic. The residual effects of the attacks were seen for several seconds after the blast hit their target.

When Aalere reappeared to the group, he was laughing. The attacks had destroyed several wings, but he was still intact, albeit weakened and damaged. He looked at the l'Cie with a mirthful smile, then took higher to the air.

xXxXx

"That's good. But not good enough." He focused a large amount of energy into his body and regenerated his injuries. The l'Cie groaned vocally, but quickly continued the assault on the man.

Aalere charged another Flare spell to throw at the group, but instead of releasing it with upon them, he absorbed it, then unleashed Vercingetorix's Wicked Whirl attack. The combined attack surrounded the l'Cie, engulfing them in it's purple/black flame. Everyone defended as much as they could, falling to a knee as Aalere's attack weakened them considerably. Before anyone could regroup, Aalere charged, going after the first person his eyes found: Lightning.

The first hit wasn't too much for Lightning to block, and she used her shield to deflect the second attack, but Aalere pirouetted as soon as his blade hit the soldier's shield, knocking her off balance. Using a quick burst of speed, he back flipped and launched Lightning into the air.

Before following the soldier, Aalere turned around and unleashed a quick Wing Shear onto the group, stunning them so he could continue after Lightning unhindered. Fang tried desperately to endure the attack and counter, but she wasn't fast enough to catch the man. His blade hit Lightning's chest just below where her chest plate ended, opening a savage wound on the soldier's abdomen.

With a final, downward thrust, Aalere sent Light's body crashing to the ground below. He flew back to the ground, circling his landing spot as he did, just a few seconds before Lightning's body hit the grass. Fang was already lunging at the man, a feral roar leaving her lips. Aalere laughed again as he began to deflect the warrior woman's attacks.

Serah and Hope were tending to Lightning as soon as they could get to her. Fortunately, the wound wasn't dangerous, just some cut flesh. Lightning couldn't even muster the strength to thank the two healers. She struggled to stand on her feet, watching Fang hopelessly try to hit the enemy, even with Gamenern's help.

Aalere was almost taunting Fang with his attacks. They never hit anything vital, just nicking her skin ever so much. Fang tried to hack off the wings as they hit her, but they retracted much to fast for her to reacted. Growling, Fang leaped forwards and spun in a tight circle, unleashing a Blitz attack.

The sudden change of attack startled Aalere, but did nothing else. Finding his opportunity, he charged Fang again, this time hitting her in the shoulder with one of his wings. The pointed end of the wing went through the flesh, shattering the scapula with a sickening crash. Fang groaned in pain as her second shoulder was made useless by another of Aalere's wings, before the man threw her back into a wall nearby.

"Pathetic." Aalere said, shaking his head. "And here I thought you actually were worthy of being Etro's champions." He took to the air again, this time focusing a large amount of energy in front of him. "I see now that you are driven too much by emotion. Take one down and the other's soon follow." He spat at the ground. "Now, watch me end your world."

He created a large portal that showed a horrifying sight. On the other side, there was something that looked like a serpent. At first glance, at least. When the beast turn to the portal, fear sunk into the l'Cie's minds. The monster was a human's torso with a snake's tail attached to it from the waist down. There were two very muscular scaled arms that were unblemished, and a head that had no face, except for two eyes and a mouth. The portal grew larger and larger, engulfing Aalere, until it faded away to expose whatever that thing inside of it was.

The serpent monster had merged with Aalere, combining the characteristics of both beings. It had the eight dragon wings attached to it's back, and the unmarked body of the portal being was now covered in Cie'th-like crystals, causing the monster's left arm to resemble a Vampire's. The eyes of the beast opened to reveal Aalere's obsidian orbs, without the yellow pupils. The creature laughed, it's tail coiling in a pile as it landed.

"I am Lindzei." It spoke, the voice the same as Aalere's before him, but no longer sinister. "You have betrayed me, children." He said, holding his hand up and creating a blade from thin air. This blade looked as though it was carved from bone, with a skull-like impression engraved onto the hilt, and horns forming the guard. It was painted yellow and gold on a steel gray, and it had a three foot long blade on it. He pointed it at the l'Cie.

"Now, I shall put you in your place."

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><p><strong>Well, whaddya think? Let me know and I'll get right to work on Chapter 16 for ya!<strong>

**Later!**


	16. Till Death Do Us Part

_**Undying**_

***sigh* This is it guys, the last chapter of **_**Undying**_**. It has been fun, honestly. You guys have been so supportive. This wouldn't have gone this far without you guys. Now, I know that the fight scene isn't long, but it was all I could write. Besides, I make it up to you. I promise.**

**I have but one thing left to say to you guys before you read this. Thank you. *bows* I really mean it.**

**Word Count: 4578**

**Disclaimer: This will be the last time I'll say this for this story. I do not own anything inside of this story. It belongs to Square Enix.**

**Chapter 16: Till Death Do Us Part**

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><p>As soon as Lindzei finished talking, several things happened at once. The serpentine man charged Lightning, pushing her back effortlessly as he swung. Gamenern assisted the soldier in her defense, unable to mount any sizable offense. Vanille charged to Fang's side, beginning to mend the damage done by Aalere's wings. Slowly, the bones repaired themselves with dull cracks and Fang regained the use of her arms. She was watching the fight helplessly as Vanille healed her.<p>

Despite the skill of the two l'Cie Lindzei was fighting, they were losing ground. Fast. Everything that the two would throw at him would either be deflected or wouldn't actually hit him. Likewise, everything he threw at them was very accurate, sometimes grazing their skin as he worked. Sazh, Snow, Serah and Hope were trying to hit the man with anything, but nothing was working.

Gamenern was able to get away long enough to attempt to hit the god's back, but was stopped by the enemy's tail, which seems to have had a blade formed on it sometime after his summoning. Without exerting any energy, Lindzei tossed Gamenern away into a crumbling building a fairly good ways away. Without the man to annoy him, Lindzei turned his attentions to Lightning.

He slithered towards Lightning, swinging at where she jumped from only an instant before Lindzei actually swung. She landed effortlessly behind the enemy, deflecting the tail as it came after her. She was staggered off balance, unable to even prepare for the next attack.

An instant before Lindzei's blade came down on Lightning, a red spear deflected the attack, stopping it just inches from Lightning's face. Holding the spear, Fang stood just behind Lightning, gritting her teeth from the force exerted by Lindzei's strength. The small amount of hesitation in the god's actions allowed for Lightning to counter, slashing upwards against his featureless face, leaving an unbleeding gash across the form.

Using the opening, Gamenern and Fang both charged their enemy, supported by their comrades. Serah, Snow and Lightning all charged in a second wave, keeping Lindzei off balance as much as possible. The god did almost nothing to deflect the attacks, allowing his foes to land their attacks on him.

When the second volley finished, the l'Cie gathered in a loose formation in front of Lindzei. The god had several unbleeding wounds covering his body, looking as no more than ripped pieces of flesh. He laughed, looking at his foes, then charged them again, going after the nearest target, Fang.

Both Lightning and Fang blocked the attack, trying to push back against the shear strength that Lindzei could exert. They were able to hold back the attack long enough to dodge the blow, which shattered the ground where it impacted. Any chance to counterattack was thwarted when Lindzei took to the air once more, unleashing a Flare attack onto the group. The l'Cie barely dodged the attack before Lindzei charged Lightning, backhanding her with his left hand and sending her crashing into Fang, sending both of them into a wall a few feet behind Fang.

With two of the bigger threats out of the way, Lindzei charged the last real threat, Gamenern. He unleashed several dark Ruin spells, causing Gamenern to have to go defensive. After a final dark Ruinga was launched, Lindzei charged Gamenern, impaling him with the blade on his tail, not hitting any vital organs but causing tremendous pain. Lindzei sneered as he tossed the wounded warrior aside, taking to the air once more.

"Pathetic." Lindzei jested, gathering more energy in his blade. "It would seem my sister chose poorly." He pointed back at the l'Cie, smiling sinisterly. He unleashed the Gigaflare attack upon the l'Cie, who would be unable to dodge the attack in time…

The blast hit an invisible barrier that dissolved the flames before it could even approach the l'Cie. Just shortly after that, everyone's brands began to glow, and their Eidolons were called forth, standing vigilantly in front of their masters.

"Eidolons?" Lindzei laughed. "Ah, my sister's 'gifts'. Only fools would believe that such inferior creations could stop me." He charged another Flare attack and unleashed it on Exodus, destroying the summon instantly. A second after that, Nix fell to the same fate. Lindzei laughed as he prepared to destroy another Guardian.

Before he could fully charge the next Flare, Exodus reappeared before Gamenern, unaffected by the previous attack. Nix shortly followed, floating regally next to her sister, looking at Lindzei with contempt. Lindzei frowned lightly, unsure as to why these Eidolon's were acting like this. "So, this is the gift you received from my sister?"

He prepared another Flare attack, but stopped as the Eidolon's glowed with different color lights, similar to their main elements. They merged into a single space, shining viciously once they combined. As the light died down, both the l'Cie and Lindzei were left in shock.

The creature before them resembled none of the Eidolons, instead looking like a dragon of mythology. It had nine heads, each of them with a different appearance, based off of the Eidolons used. The central head, the one that did not resemble an Eidolon, looked like a helmed beast, with several large teeth, colored grey. Gamenern nodded once. "Omega…"

Omega looked at Lindzei, who had not given any ground. "Fools. This monster is nothing. I am Lindzei! I created Cocoon!" He charged yet another Gigaflare, launching it at Omega. The blast hit the dragon, exploding with a ferocious light.

But Omega still stood. He looked at Lindzei with contempt, then began to radiate a crimson light. As the light grew brighter, Lindzei's eyes showed the slightest hints of fear. "Impossible!"

Omega flew directly at Lindzei, hitting him head-on. An explosion of light and dust filled the air, blinding the l'Cie and forcing them to shield their eyes. Sounds of pain filled the air as the heat from the explosion intensified, then stopped altogether.

Where Lindzei once flew, there was only a man, donning black and violet robes and slowly descending to the ground. Upon landing, he collapsed to a knee, holding a blade that somewhat flickered with black fire. Gamenern took one step forward towards the man, his axe held low. "Aalere, it's over…"

Aalere looked up, anger in his eyes, if only for a second. That anger was replaced with something that had never been seen in the man's eyes; Remorse. He chuckled, attempting to stand up entirely, but collapsed again, this time caught by Gamenern.

"I am sorry, brother…" He spoke weakly, shutting his eyes in pain. "Is there any way that I could be forgiven..?" Gamenern nodded at the man's question, a small smile on his face.

"Of course there is." A feminine voice rang out, one that the l'Cie recognized as Etro's voice. While she had not shown herself, it was evident that she was there. Aalere smiled weakly one last time, then his body went slack. Gamenern let Aalere's body down softly, then stood at full height. He had barely done so when a light blue light overtook Aalere's body, and both of them faded away into nothingness.

"I must thank you again, my champions." Etro spoke as she appeared, just a few paces in front of Gamenern. "You have saved the world from a terrible fate." She bowed once, then turned to the sky.

"Lindzei can't come back now, right?" Hope asked, taking a step forward. Etro shook her head, looking back to the l'Cie.

"I'm afraid I cannot know the answer to that, child." She spoke softly, but had a smile on her face. "But, I do know that he will not have to power to return for several centuries at least." She then faded away, her voice still lingering in the air.

"You have fought for your freedom. Embrace it, and cherish it." Upon the speaking of these words, everyone's l'Cie brands faded away, no longer blemishing their skin. Their strength was returned to them, as if they were inside of a super Curaja spell. They looked at where Aalere's body once laid, then to each other, nodding and smiling.

"We did it. We saved the world. Again." Fang said, putting her lance on her back. She approached Lightning and hugged her briefly, turning back to the ruins of Paddra.

"Come on guys." Gamenern said, pointing at the _Trickster_. "Let's go home."

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><p>Epilogue- Six months later<p>

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><p>"Claire?" Serah said, knocking three times on the soldier's door. There was some hurried whispers and the sound of clothes being thrown on for a few moments on the other side of the door before Lightning opened it.<p>

"What's up?" She asked, stepping out of the room. Fang was seen on the other side, still throwing on some form of clothing, when Serah spoke.

"I need to tell you something." She said, motioning to go back inside. After Fang finished putting her shirt on, the two Farron's stepped inside. Lightning sat on the bed, Fang behind her, while Sera sat in an office chair. She looked at Lightning then sighed.

"Promise me you won't get mad or try to kill Snow or whatnot." Serah said, looking down at her lap, where she was messing around with her hands. Lightning cocked her head sideways some, then nodded.

"What is it, Serah?" Lightning asked, getting the attention back on to her face. Serah looked completely flustered, which meant that she had something important to say. Lightning was running through a mental checklist of things that could've gone wrong when Serah spoke.

"I'm pregnant." She said lowly, her voice reflecting her attitude. She felt small telling Lightning this. The look on Lightning's face was unreadable. It was as if she had been hit over the head by a behemoth king. Or Titan's fist. Serah was almost afraid that Lightning was going to try to do something irrational when she finally did speak.

But it wasn't spoken with contempt or anger. Her face wasn't in an angry frown. She was smiling, as much as she would allow herself to. "Congratulations." She said, reaching out to grip Serah's shoulder. Serah smiled broadly and threw a hug onto Lightning, happy with the reaction. Even Fang was smiling.

"So, Rainbows, ya having a boy or a girl?" Fang asked once Lightning was released. Serah shook her head, still smiling like a maniac.

"Don't know. I don't wanna know, either." She said firmly, her nervousness gone. Fang nodded once, then shook her head.

"Well, glad to see Light here didn't completely ruin the baboon's chances at reproduction." She nudged Lightning once jokingly, getting the desired blush from Serah.

"Um…yeah…" Serah meeped. She turned to the door, not speaking until she reach the entryway. "Thank you, Claire." She spoke before departing.

Only about two seconds later, Serah was back at the doorway. "Oh, I forgot, everyone's meeting at my place for the anniversary." She said, startling the two women, who had already begun to undress. Another crimson blush showed on Serah's face as she slammed the door shut. "Sorry!"

xXxXx

Serah and Snow had moved into a large house when Serah got pregnant. This new house had a pool in the backyard, a game room with a billiards table and an electronic dart board, and three bedrooms. It had a long driveway that put the house some ways beyond the street, and a large oak tree at the end of the pavement.

Already, the other ex-l'Cie and NORA had arrived, going to different part of the house. Gadot, Gamenern, Snow and Yuj were setting up a poker table in the game room, hoping to get a game going soon. Vanille, Hope, Maqui, Penelo and Dajh were in the pool while Sazh watched them carefully. Lebreau and Serah were in the kitchen, preparing the meals for the day.

Fang and Lightning appeared to be the last to arrive. They entered the house at around 2 PM, and, after a small round of hellos, the women each headed to the bathroom to change into swimsuits. They were out only a minute or so later, and headed to the pool. Lightning sighed heavily when she saw that the pool wasn't empty. She was hoping to get a few laps in without interruption, but now she'd have to wait. Still, Fang dragged her poolside, diving in shortly after.

Lightning opted to sit at the water's edge, dangling her feet in the water. Fang pouted. "Not coming in, Sunshine?" Fang asked, floating on her back momentarily. Lightning shook her head, leaning back on her hands. She could see some clouds through the magnolia tree growing in the backyard. She was busy making shape out of the white formations, a pastime she was known to do.

Fang then smirked, creeping up slowly. 'Good, everything's working.' Fang was underwater, the goggles she was wearing making it easy to see the soldier's feet dangling in the water. 'And, now!'

Fang lunged out of the water, grabbed Lightning by the arm, and dragged her into the pool. Lightning instinctively let out a yelp as Fang dunked her under the water, throwing her senses for a loop. The other's had seen the incident and laughed at the display. It wasn't often that someone snuck up on Lightning, even if that someone was Fang.

When Lightning resurfaced, she looked at Fang with a half angry look. "What was that for?" She asked, her voice not shouting, but not conversational. Fang simply shrugged, going back under the water. She swam towards the shallow end of the pool, where the others were, then broke over the surface.

The had snuck up on Vanille perfectly, and when she broke to the surface, she growled lightly, freaking Vanille out, making the girl shriek and flail, hitting poor, innocent Hope in the face. Sazh, who, after seeing Lightning get unceremoniously dunked under the water, grabbed a camera and began to shoot just a few minutes before Fang 'attacked' Vanille. Even Lightning had to chuckle when Vanille's flailing fist made contact with Hope's nose.

"Fang!" Vanille shrieked, turning back to help Hope back out of the water. Luckily for the boy, the punch wasn't hard enough to break his nose or make it bleed, but it was enough to daze him. Fang laughed uproariously, then dove back under the water, making a beeline for Lightning. She was stopped when Lightning's hand held her head, preventing any further movement. She resurfaced, standing just a few inches above Lightning.

"Afternoon!" Fang joked, swimming around to rest her back against the wall. She turned to Sazh. "If you win that 10,000 gil, you're sharing with me, old man!" She shouted, noticing the camera that Sazh was already saving the video from. He waved her off, muttering something that sounded like "Whatever." but Fang just shrugged.

"So, what's eating you?" Fang asked when Lightning didn't say anything. As usual, the pinkette didn't respond. "Oh, you're not still on about the little dunking thing, are ya?" She asked, but Lightning didn't respond. Fang sighed.

"Ya know, I've been thinking." Fang started, pulling Lightning closer, holding the soldier in a side hug. "I've been thinking about what it'd be like having a family." Lightning nodded.

"We do." She said, tilting her head to the ex-l'Cie. "They are our family." She said it like it was obvious, but Fang shook her head.

"Not like that." She retorted, sighing. "I mean, like the two of us, just settling down and starting a family." Fang corrected, getting Lightning to look at her.

"I've seen those clinics." Fang continued, cutting off Lightning, who went back to listening. "The ones that allow same gender couples to have children. I've been thinking about what it'd be like to be a parent, y'know?" She said, turning back to Lightning. The soldier laughed breathlessly, nodding.

"Yeah, I get it." She said, resting her head on Fang's shoulder. "Though honestly, I never saw myself as the motherly type." She said, humor in her voice.

She ran her hand through her hair when she finally noticed it. A golden band on her ring finger. Turning her had over, she could see a small pink gem, cut to look like a rose. It must have been slipped on when Fang dunked her into the pool. Her mouth was slightly agape as she turned to Fang. "What is this..?"

Fang's face became serious as she turned back to Lightning. "Claire Farron," She started, looking deep into Lightning's eyes. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you." Lightning went to speak, but Fang cut her off. "You have made me happier than I ever though I could be. When I'm with you, nothing in the world seems impossible." She then ducked down, simulating herself getting on her knee.

"Lightning, will you marry me?" Fang asked, looking up into Lightning's eyes. Like earlier, her face was unreadable. Inside, Fang was afraid that Lightning wasn't ready for a long term commitment, and that this wasn't something they could agree on.

But as soon as those thoughts hit her mind, Lightning smiled. It was a genuine smile. A happy smile. A proper smile. She pulled Fang up, allowing the woman to stand on her own feet, and brought her down into a fervent kiss. Everything that Fang had said was released into the kiss. All of her love was let out.

When the kiss was broken, Lightning was still smiling. Neither woman had yet to open their eyes as the words were spoken. "Yes." Lightning said. "Yes." And they kissed again.

From the other side of the pool Hope had seen the display, though he was unable to hear any of it. He nudged Vanille, getting her attention. "What's going on over there, huh?" He asked, pointing to the women who were in a passionate embrace. Vanille looked curiously for a moment, then shrugged.

"Dunno." She said. "But it must've been something big, the way they're holding each other." She commented, turning back to Hope. Hope nodded once, then sat down on one of the steps out of the pool.

Before he could do anything else, Vanille had leaned over and pecked him on the lips. Immediately, he went cherry red, falling over and into the water. Maqui, who had seen to kiss, laughed heavily as Hope tried to gather himself again. Vanille just smiled, helping Hope back out of the water and onto his feet. "You okay?" She asked, trying not to laugh from the boy's reaction.

"Nothing. I…I'm fine!" Hope stuttered, still as red as an apple. Vanille just nodded, then turned back to the younger kids. Maqui swam over to Hope.

"If you were trying to impress her, I don't think you did a good job." He teased, still laughing from earlier. Hope turned to Maqui and pushed him, staggering him back into the water.

"Don't say a word to anyone." He warned, though his voice was still flustered and the threat held no sense of danger. Maqui just laughed some more.

xXxXx

Gamenern had gathered enough people to start his poker game. Everyone put in 30 gil, getting their share of poke chips. Snow, Gadot, Gamenern, Sazh, and Hope and Vanille had all put up money. Hope and Vanille, despite their original awkwardness, had decided to share a hand, playing with a single stack of chips. Nobody thought it as unfair, seeing as neither Vanille nor Hope had ever played poker. The game was Hold'Em, and it would be played until no one had any chips left.

Despite all the talk he had, Snow was eliminated first. Surprisingly, Hope and Vanille learned the game very quickly, being able to win several big hands and getting the most chips. Shortly after Snow was taken out, Sazh followed him. He muttered something about being to old as he stood from the table. By now, Fang, Lightning, Maqui and Lebreau had gathered to watch the game.

With Gadot eliminated, it left only Gamenern and Hope and Vanille. Both of the players had around equal stacks, though Gamenern was slightly behind in the chip count. He had gone all in with his two Aces, thinking that it was a cinch for him to win.

Currently, there was a Jack of hearts, an Ace of diamonds, and a ten of hearts on the board. The turn and river had yet to be played, and Gamenern, with his current three of a kind, felt it enough to go all in. He had the Aces of spades and clubs. Either through unknowingness or with some plan, Hope and Vanille called.

They showed a King and nine of hearts, giving them a possible straight, flush, or straight flush possibility. But there are many cards that could fall.

Yuj, who was dealing the cards, dealt the turn. The ace of hearts. Gamenern laughed in utter joy. Four of a kind. He was certain that he won. Even Hope and Vanille were worried now.

"Sorry kids, looks like I'm gonna win this one." Gamenern said, already raking in the pile of chips. Yuj simply sighed as he turned over the river card. Everyone gawked at it.

It was the Queen of hearts. Gamenern froze, his hands still on the chips. "A…a royal fl-fl-flush?" He stuttered. He looked at the cards on the table, looking for that edge. It wasn't there. Hope and Vanille had gotten a royal flush, the only way they could've beaten Gamenern.

Yuj took the 150 gil from under the table and handed it to the two. "You won, guys. Here ya go!" Hope took the coins, then split out 75 gil to give to Vanille and kept 75 for himself. The two stood up, and everyone began to walk to the kitchen, save for Gamenern, who was still frozen at the spot.

He would remain that way for another ten minutes, until Lebreau finally dragged him away from the table.

xXxXx

Sazh and Gadot had already begun to grill the hot dogs and hamburgers that was going to be dinner. Also on the grill were corn and onions, set aside so they didn't interfere with the cooking of the meats. Gamenern, after returning to reality from the poker game, had asked that some eggs be cooked as a condiment for the burgers. He had said that he had tried an bacon egg cheese burger at a restaurant and enjoyed it, so there was going to be different kinds of egg and even bacon for the burgers.

It took no time at all for the burgers, hot dogs and hamburgers were brought into the house, and with everything cooked, they could finally eat. Everyone sat at the dining room table, which had been extended for tonight. After dinner, the group was going to head to the town square and watch the fireworks, one of the first things brought back to Oerba after the Fall.

Snow and Serah took opposite ends of the table, with Serah sitting on the side facing the kitchen. To her left, Vanille sat, Hope next to her, with Maqui, Lebreau and Gamenern after him, before it reached Snow. To his left, there was Sazh, Lightning, Fang, Sazh and then Yuj, before returning to Serah. Dajh and Penelo sat at a table inside the kitchen, eating their food away from the adults.

There was plenty to talk about at dinner. Most of it had to do with what Serah and Snow were going to do with a little one on the way. While Snow hoped for the child to be a boy, Serah just wanted a healthy child. She was quite content with whatever she was given.

Though everyone finished eating around twenty minutes after starting, they still continued to talk. Fang and Lightning, however, weren't chiming in often. Fang was elbowing Lightning discreetly. "Tell them." She whispered. Lightning shook her head.

"Not now. Later." She retorted. She had wanted to tell Serah first, in private. Fang muttered something, then stood up.

"Lightning and I would like to make an announcement." She said, practically dragging Lightning to her feet. The soldier scowled at Fang, but then sighed. She turned to Serah and inhaled deeply.

"Serah…" She started, fiddling with her ring as she spoke. Serah saw this, then saw the look on Lightning's face. "Fang and I are getting married…" She got out, as if something was holding her back. Was this nervousness?

The entire room had gone silent. Gamenern was looking between Lightning and Fang. Fang was looking around, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, especially himself and Vanille. And Lightning was actually blushing, so it would seem she was telling the truth. He nodded once, then spoke up.

"Well, it's about damn time!" He said. Everyone else then agreed, unleashing a torrent of "Congratulations" and "Good Lucks" to the two women. Serah stood up and hugged Serah, while Vanille did the same to Fang, before the girls switched around and hugged their soon to be sister-in-laws.

After the commotion died down, Gadot nudged Gamenern. "So, those two are getting marred." He said, then motioned to Lebreau. "When are you two tying the knot?" He joked. Gamenern about choked on his drink, as did Lebreau, looking at the man incredulously. A few of the guests laughed at the reactions of the pair.

"Gadot, shut up." Lebreau said when she could finally speak, though her threat wasn't real. The man just laughed heartily.

xXxXx

Despite the festive atmosphere in the air at the Villiers household, the ex-l'Cie and NORA all headed to Oerba's town square to watch the fireworks festival. Though the original date of the Bodhum Fireworks festival was not the same date as the Fall of Cocoon, it was close enough that they moved it to the date of the Fall. So, every year, to celebrate the Fall, the town of Oerba would hold Bodhum's Fireworks Festival.

Upon arrival, everyone went their separate ways. Snow and Serah had sat down in a bench just on the lakeside, watching the fireworks explode in midair. Serah had nuzzled into Snow's side.

Hope and Vanille were sitting on the shore, looking up at the display. There hands had found the other's and they rested them there, Hope's on top of Vanille's, smiling as they continued to watch the display.

Sazh was also sitting on the shore, a good ways away from Hope and Vanille, watching Dajh as he played with the still small chocobo chick. He was smiling as his son played carelessly, almost like last year, but without the mark branding his skin.

Gamenern and Lebreau were resting against a wall by the bar, Lebreau in Gamenern's arms, watching both the fireworks and Penelo. They both smiled as they watched the girl playing with the animals that had been brought there, enjoying the atmosphere of the festival.

Fang and Lightning had gone to a more private area, a pier that had been built for anglers. At the moment, with the nighttime and the fireworks, it was deserted. They were leaning on the edge of the pier, their hands entwined together, Fang now wearing an engagement ring of her own. They watched the fireworks from a distance, and though these fireworks were said to grant any wish, there wasn't anything either woman could wish for.

They had each other, and that was all they needed. Together till the end. "Till death do us part."

~~~The End~~~

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><p><strong>And so, the final chapter of <strong>_**Undying**_** reaches it's conclusion. I truly am thankful to you guys who have reviewed this, and even to those who only read it. Without you, this wouldn't be possible. I'm sorry if it's been a while since I updated. My internet went out at my house and so I have to post this at my local library. But, I posted it, so fret not!**

**Now, onto more pressing matters. As of this story, I will be unable to get on the internet at all for, at the very least, nine weeks, most likely even longer. This is because, on August 1, I will be headed to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Why? Well, anyone who's read my profile page knows that I have been waiting to go into the Army. Well, August 1 is my ship out date. I won't go to much into details, but I will be in Basic Training for nine weeks, then A-School for 28 more. Which means that I won't be done at Fort Sill for at least nine months!**

**But fear not, my faithful followers! The first thing I'm going to buy after getting out of Basic is a laptop computer, so that I can resume my writings and enjoy what you guys have to offer, both in stories and in reviews.**

**It has been fun, guys! See ya on the other side!**

**Juwpiter out.**


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